


Dance Like Only I'm Watching

by orphan_account



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dance, Body Worship, Cussing, Eventual Smut, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Hand Jobs, Implied Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Injury, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Masturbation, Mutual Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Nipple Play, Slow Burn, Swearing, character injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2018-11-05 21:09:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 123,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11021664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Tsukishima Kei is a dancer for the prominent Karasuno High School dance team, but after a bitter defeat to Aoba Joshai he's lacking in motivation. Once summer hits, Tsukishima begins practicing with a member of the Nekoma high dance team, Kuroo Tetsurou, and the two decide to enter a dance competition together, all while Tsukishima is trying to suppress his feelings for his new cute partner.





	1. A New Strategy

**Author's Note:**

> The Kurotsuki story nobody asked for where they're all dancers instead of volleyball players.
> 
> Fanart- [Kuroo and Tsukki in their dance outfits](http://foxyenaarts.tumblr.com/post/161991600010/kurotsuki-dance-au-fanart-for-dance-like-only-im) By [Foxyena](http://www.foxyenaarts.tumblr.com/)  
>    
>  
> 
> [My Tumblr](http://www.tettsuroo.tumblr.com/)

“Okay, take it from the top one more time.” Daichi called out as he drifted his gaze towards Suga, who merrily walked back over to the dock where his phone was plugged in, a bouncy skip in his step as his finger began to hover over the ‘play’ button.

Tsukishima was exhausted, well, that may have been the understatement of the year, he didn’t know it was possible to feel this tired. The bags under his eyes had bags under them, his muscles ached, and he swore if he had to do another jump in these tights, he was going to scream. On days like today it really made him wonder what it was in him that possessed him to decide to become a dancer, and even more so, apply to a school with a prominent dance team where he knew he would be the tallest. The tallest and the palest, where he knew that he would almost always be at the center of attention, for better or for worse, and that was even despite his extraordinary dance skills.

The ‘dance team’ in question was the Karasuno high school dance team, a notable school not too far away from where he lived, that used to be known for being the best of the best when it came to dancing, they even won several awards and championships in the past. Which made it a no-brainer for Tsukishima to apply here when he got to the right age. He didn’t want to sound like he had an ego or anything, but he had no doubt that he would get in when he applied here, his older brother even went here and was on the same dance team, again of course, that was in the past.

That was the thing about the past though, it was in the past. Just because it used to be that way didn’t mean it was that way now, and that was evident if you just looked in the mirror that surrounded this old dance room.

Karasuno wasn’t the extraordinary dance school anymore, and they just got off of a bitter defeat against Aoba Josai, another dance school in the area, at nationals. It was pretty depressing, the kind of depressing that makes you want to binge eat and sit in your room and watch depressing shows for days on end, but it wasn’t something Tsukishima wasn’t expecting.

Their school wasn’t even anything special anymore, and they really only started training a few months ago at the start of the school year, how could they expect to win? Even with all of the hard work they put in and leaving that day with bruises and sprains on their legs and ankles, there was no way they could beat a school that was ranked in the top four for the past several years now. There was no reason to get their hopes up for defeating someone like that. But still, Tsukishima would be lying if he said he didn’t feel a slight twinge of disappointment. Who wouldn’t?

Tsukishima finally brought his head up as he looked at himself in the smudged, fingerprint filled mirror, pushing his glasses up his nose with his free hand as his other hand remained resting on the barre. He scowled at himself when he looked at several bruises on the exposed skin of his arms and legs, he didn’t even have to look at them to know how badly they ached and how badly he wanted to go soak in the tub. He was tired, he didn’t know if he wanted to do this anymore, and he wanted to go home.

“Something the matter, Tsukki?” He didn’t look at him directly, but Tsukishima could see the concerned look of his childhood best friend, Yamaguchi, looking at him in the mirror. He was significantly shorter than him right now because of how he was stretching himself in front of the mirror, stretching out is leg muscles across the barre they were all standing in front of.

“I’m fine, just tired. Aren’t you exhausted, Yamaguchi?” Tsukishima sighed, not looking his friend in the eye as he decided to limber himself up one more time.

To say they had been here a few hours was again, an understatement. It was a Saturday, and a holiday with no school today at that, so it wasn’t that uncommon for them to have all day practices at the school like this. Usually one of the third years, Daichi their caption, or Suga their co-captain, would arrive at the school early. They usually weren’t required to get here until ten in the morning, but most of the members showed up before then. Mainly, two of the overly competitive and overly energetic first years that Tsukishima was forced to get close with over his time here, Hinata and Kageyama.  

Those two by themselves were too much to take when they were together, but given that they were also first years, Tsukishima was forced to take them. Ever since the day they had their auditions here, the four of them (Hinata, Kageyama, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi) were forced to team up and learn a dance together. It wasn’t anything that was particularly difficult, but the whole time Tsukishima kept thinking to himself why he had to be stuck with those two buffoons, especially considering one of those ‘buffoons’ had just started dancing only a few weeks prior to this.

When it came to dance experience amongst the first years, Tsukishima did have an advantage. His older brother was a dancer when Karasuno was at its peak, he learned by watching him when he was little, and even when his brother got into high school and insisted he not come to his performances because it would make him nervous, he still managed to practice with him. Though, he didn’t see much of his brother these days, since he’s in college and all, he knew that he still kept on dancing. Even if sometimes he did resent him for getting him into a demanding sport like this from a young age, he couldn’t be too mad at him.

In some ways, he should thank his brother, without getting him into dancing, he would have never met his best friend, Yamaguchi.

Apparently, the two first met while Tsukishima was walking home through a park after practice when he was a little kid, and Yamaguchi just so happened to be there, unfortunately getting bullied at the time. What Tsukishima did wasn’t really considered as ‘saving him’, but a few sarcastic remarks to those bullies and they were gone, Yamaguchi’s childhood was made better, and he even also ended up joining the same dance club Tsukishima was a part of at the time, and the two had been inseparable ever since, even both going to high school together.

‘Tsukki’ had always been sort of a nickname that Yamaguchi gave him, he ended up yelling it one day when they were kids and Tsukishima injured his ankle during practice, and it stuck with him ever since. Well, it wasn’t like Tsukishima minded it too much so he couldn’t complain.

On to the other two first years, there was Hinata, the red-headed short ball of energy. He had only been dancing since middle school and even then, what he did probably shouldn’t be considered ‘dancing’. He was never a part of a dance club, mainly because his middle school didn’t have one, so he just enjoyed it and would practice on his own.

He apparently applied to Karasuno because there was a powerful dance member he admired who used to go here, and he wanted to be just like him. In some ways it was admirable, yet somehow Tsukishima still found it kind of dumb. Going to a school just because someone you admired went there isn’t exactly the best reason. But it was still another member, so Tsukishima couldn’t complain.

A lot of other members referred to Hinata as the ‘rookie’ since the experience he had was almost none. He was always eager to learn and was one hell of a jumper, making him the center of attention at most, if not all, dance competitions and joint practices they went to. It was almost infuriating how someone new and with no experience could be their number one dancer by this point, but Tsukishima wasn’t going to make a fuss over it. He had ambition, something Tsukishima knew he himself was lacking, and if there was someone better than him, he wasn’t going to stand in their way. He would willingly stand on the back line just to keep trouble from happening.

Then there was Kageyama, ‘the king’ as he was called in his middle school, he had eyes following him around ever since he was twelve. Apparently, he came to Karasuno because he heard that renowned dancing coach ‘Ukai’ was going to be coming out of retirement, of course health issues happened and that never ended up happening, and the grandson of coach Ukai ended up taking his place instead. But the third years insisted that he was still an excellent addition to the team.

They called him ‘the king’ because of his ego, he was so good that his skills were worthy of being recognized and being treated as if he were a king, but that was only half the story. The other half, the real half, was that he had a hard time getting along with others, he was more like a dictator than a king. If someone couldn’t keep up with him, he would chastise them, yell at them, it had to be his way or no way. Needless to say, it was why he got kicked off the team in middle school, and if it wasn’t for Karasuno not being a powerhouse dance school anymore, he may not have even gotten accepted here.

Of course, things did change for him when he got accepted here, he finally found someone who could keep up with him no matter what. Hinata was the ultimate ball of energy who could keep up with Kageyama all the time, those two were partners and it was almost comical to watch as all those people who despised ‘the king’ now were forced to watch him get along with someone. Of course, this meant nothing to Tsukishima, since him and Kageyama had more of a love-hate relationship. They didn’t get along, but they didn’t not get along either, they could work together, but not perfectly, and being the two most competent dancers of the first years, the two would butt heads a lot.

“I’m fine, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi spoke up again, a smile on his face as he straightened up his posture and returned to his normal height, still shorter than Tsukishima. “I think after this we should be able to go home, so-“

“Yamaguchi!” Speak of the devil. Hinata, as short as ever, seemed to bust out of nowhere, putting himself in-between the two as he rested both his hands on the beam. He seemed as energetic as ever, his voice carrying even though the person he needed to talk was only two inches away from him. Tsukishima thought it must be nice to have that much energy. Though, he couldn’t help but laugh when he noticed a giant hole over one of the knees of Hinata’s pitch black leotard.

They were required to wear them, it was part of their dancing training, the school would supply each member with two black men’s leotards, they came all the way down to the ankles and for the most part they were pretty comfortable. Of course, Daichi said they could wear a regular t-shirt and shorts if they wanted, but it made that much difficult to move in. So, it wasn’t that abnormal for everyone to be wearing the same black outfit like they were right now for practice.

It was almost comical how they all looked alike, standing in front of the barre in the mirror, someone who just stopped by might actually think they knew what they were doing. The only other things in sight happened to be their shoes and school bags that lined the back wall, and Tsukishima was finally starting to get used to all of the smudges on the mirror as he took another look at himself.

“What is it, Hinata?” Yamaguchi asked with a pleasant tone in his voice. Unlike Tsukishima, Yamaguchi would actually listen to what this guy had to say, as where Tsukishima would usually just ignore him and say he didn’t have time for someone so simple minded. It wasn’t that he was intentional rude, but Tsukishima just had a hard time getting along with certain types of people.

“Are you free to help me and Kageyama study again after practice?” Hinata almost had a desperate, begging tone in his voice, which somehow made Tsukishima feel even more vindictive than usual, he didn’t dislike Hinata like some would believe, he just got on his nerves a bit.

Though the thing that made it the most annoying was that Hinata seemed oblivious to this, other than a slightly rude introduction to each other, where Tsukishima made fun of his short height on the day they first met. Hinata always treated him the same. He wasn’t sure if that was because he was just a teammate or if he admired him for his height, but he seemed like one of a few people who didn’t hate him for his sarcastic remarks.

“Huh? Well Tsukki and I were going to walk home together again, and as I told you before, I’m not that great in English.” Yamaguchi had an apologetic look about him, as Tsukishima rolled his eyes as he listened in on their conversation. He knew there was no way in hell that they were about to ask him.

The ‘studying’ they were referring to was for some exams coming up, Daichi and Suga hounded it hard into everyone’s head that if they didn’t pass the exams before summer break started, that they wouldn’t be allowed to go to any of trips and joint practices they had planned. Of course, this meant nothing for both Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, who both got above passing marks on all their tests, Tsukishima even being in an advanced class. This was no problem for him with it being the next to last week of school before summer break and all, however, two people this was a problem for were Hinata and Kageyama. The simpletons, the dumb simpletons, at that. Tsukishima wasn’t even sure they had seen a grade above a D in their whole life.

Ever since Daichi and Suga brought this whole thing up, Hinata and Kageyama begged and pleaded for them to help them study every night this week. Even going as far as to offer to buy them both dinner and buy Tsukishima the strawberry dessert he liked so much. Sure, first he agreed to it out of pity, it wouldn’t help the team at all if two of their members were slacking, but now it was just a chore, and that was even with Tsukishima getting all the strawberry desserts he wanted.

It wasn’t so much that they were dumb or couldn’t understand the material, it was their unwillingness to listen. Every night Tsukishima would get into some kind of argument with Kageyama, usually over nothing other than him complaining. His failing grades always did come as a surprise to him given how serious he seemed about dancing, but then again, all that was probably was in his head was dancing. Hinata was even worse though.

He was the only person Tsukishima had ever met who couldn’t understand the basic materials, he would constantly have to explain things to him over and over again. It was so frustrating, so frustrating that Tsukishima thought it would be better not to deal with it. There was nothing that was forcing him to continue helping him after all. And it wasn’t like there was a rule that said you had to help your teammates.

“Oh, is that so.” Hinata almost had a vague look of disappointment on his face as he looked over to Tsukishima. “Hey Tsukishima, how about we-“

“No!”

“I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“I don’t care what it is, the answer is no. I already have plans. My older brother is visiting home, and, well, it’s not really your concern.” Tsukishima could feel his thoughts trail off, refusing to look at Yamaguchi because he knew damn well that was a lie, and that his brother wasn’t returning home for another two weeks.

Maybe Tsukishima was being a little unnecessarily cold to Hinata, or maybe he was just at his mental capacity when it came to what he could handle in terms of helping him study, but Tsukishima wasn’t in the mood today. He wasn’t in the mood for anything other than that hot bath he wanted, and he wasn’t going to let anyone take it away from him.

“Now, now, what’s going on here?” It almost felt like they were naughty children who were being scolded by their parents. Suga stepped in behind them, placing one hand on Hinata’s shoulder and the other hand on Tsukishima’s. The tone in his voice was pleasant, but the expression on his face was anything but. It had only been half a year, but Tsukishima had already had enough experience when it came to this expression before, it was his fake nice expression.

He had seen it ever since the day they had auditions for the team, where Hinata and Kageyama got themselves thrown out for making too much noise and not listening to what Daichi was saying, Suga pushed them out of the practice building and shut the door in their faces, all the while he had this look on his face. It was a look that Tsukishima couldn’t quite describe, but it was condescending as hell, and it sent a shiver down his spine. Since that day both Tsukishima and Yamaguchi vowed never to do something that would piss him off.

“It’s nothing, Suga.” Tsukishima turned his head to the other side, determined not to look at his face as he tried to act like a good boy, though he could already hear the laughter of some of the second years standing behind him. He instantly sent Tanaka and Nishinoya a glare (two of the second years), as he thought about picking on Nishinoya’s height again to shut them up.

“What’s wrong, Tsukishima? Hiding something?” Tanaka’s annoying voice could be heard through the sounds of laughter from a few feet away. Normally Tsukishima would get along with somebody like him, the two of them seemed to share some kind of immaturity, and love for riling people up and teasing them, but today Tsukishima couldn’t bring back that same infantile behavior.

“And have you two studied enough?” Another second year, Ennoshita, seemingly the only other voice of reason in the room, stepped up behind the laughing Tanaka and Nishinoya, his arms crossed and a stubborn look on his face.

It had already been confirmed and agreed to by everyone that he would be the captain next year when Daichi and the others graduated, and he was stepping up to his authority role well. Being one of very few people who could even get the very lax Tanaka and Nishinoya to study. Tsukishima found himself almost admiring it, wishing that there was some way for him to get that kind of reaction out of Hinata and Kageyama when he told them to study.

“No, senpai.” Tanaka and Nishinoya echoed each other, a shameful look on their faces as they hung their heads low to the ground.

“We’re the same age.” Ennoshita corrected them, and he had a confused look on his face, one like he was trying to decide if their comment was meant to be taken as a joke or if they actually didn’t understand what a senpai actually is. Tsukishima was starting to think he got lucky with just getting stuck with the simple minded-ness of Hinata and Kageyama.

“So, Tsukishima.” Suga turned his attention back towards the three first years before him, letting Ennoshita deal with the others, at least the third years in this group were competent. “I’m sure you can re-work your schedule to help Hinata and Kageyama out, right? We wouldn’t want their failing grades to be on your hands, now, would we?”

“N-No.” Tsukishima turned his head back to the side to face Suga ever so slightly, he could only see a small portion of his face, but that smirk he was making told him all he needed to know. He might as well have told him that if Hinata and Kageyama failed, he would too.

Normally being told something like this would have infuriated Tsukishima. Why should he, someone who had always done whatever he was told and had excellent grades, have to be lumped in with the simpletons? Was he cursed? That had to be the reason, that or it was Suga’s personal mission to make all of the first years suffer somewhat.

“Good boy. I’ll leave the teaching to you, then.” Suga smiled, releasing his hand off of Hinata and Tsukishima’s shoulders, patting them both on the back as he walked away, walking to where Daichi was.

Tsukishima wouldn’t really say he had much in common with Hinata, but the two of them shared a brief look. Tsukishima couldn’t describe it other than a look of they both knew Suga just played them, they fell into his well disguised trap, and they may suffer for it. Like it or not, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi both just got coaxed into helping the two simpletons study again.

“Hey, Suga.” Asahi, another one of the third years, this one with being the more timid member of the group.

Outside of Tsukishima’s ungodly height, Asahi was probably the one to stand out the most, with a beard and a man bun topping his head. Most people look at him and wonder how he even became a dancer in the first place, of course, they say that without realizing he is the biggest softie of the group, and his intimidating presence always causing several misconceptions about them to spread when they go to competitions. It’s almost alarming at how people can make up an entire backstory for someone based on nothing but just their appearance.

“What is it, Asahi?” Suga asked, taking his attention off Daichi and looking at him.

This probably wasn’t the best time to think about it, and it hadn’t been confirmed yet, but Suga and Daichi were a couple, they just had to be. Tsukishima wasn’t just thinking that in the longing, they would make a cute couple sort of way. They had to be dating.

Daichi was always like the supportive dad of the group, and Suga was like the mom, the nagging mom who always wanted to make sure their children were doing good, but still, the mom nonetheless. They had discussed it a handful of times among the first years, but none of them wanted to bring it up in a time like this.

The two of them always showed up together, they came to practice together, walked home together, they were even sure they ate together and that Suga packed Daichi’s lunches for him. There was no way they weren’t dating, and no one, even if they both were a part of a dance team, touch each other like that. Tsukishima was always observant, and he was certain of it.

“The conjoined training camp that we got invited to in two weeks, it’s with the Nekoma High and the Fukurodani High dance teams, right?” Asahi scratched the side of his face, it was as if he had an uncertain look about him. He was soft spoken as always, to the point where he almost sounded shy, and Tsukishima had to struggle to read his lips in the mirror to figure out what their conversation was about. Of course, it didn’t help with Hinata bickering with Yamaguchi to the right of him, distracting him.

“That’s right, we got invited to attend with them this year, it’s for a full week so we’ll be staying at one of their schools. We could really learn a lot from them, since they specialize in a wide variety of dances, and I think it would really help out the first years-“

“-Did you say we get to train with Nekoma?!” Both Hinata and Kageyama seemed to have perked up as they ran over to the other side of the room, startling everyone. Those two were so simple minded that all they had to do was hear the word ‘dance’, and they were gone. Well, it was all fine with Tsukishima, them talking more meant that he got to spent the next few minutes relaxing, and not worrying about whatever impossible jump those two were trying to coax everyone into doing next.

“If they would have listened, then they would have known they told us this multiple times.” Tsukishima groaned, knowing the only person even close enough to him was Yamaguchi.

“I know, I wish sometimes they would just pay attention.” Yamaguchi joined him as they both sighed in unison.

“Well, we can’t expect much since they are both so simple minded.”

“True.” Yamaguchi chuckled and Tsukishima smirked along with him, the two of them seemed to have a fun time when they made observations about ‘the two simpletons’, as they called them. It was like a fun little game they would play when they had some down time during practice.

“That’s right.” Suga shook his head up and down, like he was nodding, his tone seemed so polite it was as if he was talking to two young children. “So, be sure to steal a lot of their techniques, okay?”

Tsukishima wasn’t quite sure what made Kageyama and Hinata so enthusiastic about something like this, well, that was a lie, they both knew the answer, they had ambition and wanted to get better. Something that Tsukishima didn’t really consider himself to have, there even came a point when he started to question whether or not he actually liked dancing anymore. Of course, that was only half the reason, everyone knew the real reason the two of them were looking forward to it was so they could see Kenma again, for different reasons, of course.

Kenma was one of the other members on the Nekoma dance team, a short, logical member who didn’t do much outside of playing video games and observing people. They had another practice with them a couple months back before the tournament they just got back from, apparently Hinata and Kenma ran into each other and the two of them seemed to really hit it off, which is what made him so eager to see him again. It wasn’t anything special, but Kenma was talented, you didn’t notice him much, he was more of a background person, but when he wasn’t there, everything seemed to fall out of place. It was almost amazing at how someone so quiet could play such a powerful part.

There is no doubt that is what attracted Kageyama to him, he became fascinated with Kenma ever since meeting him because of his unnoticeable, yet powerful presence. He probably wanted to go just so he could talk to him so more, and see what it was exactly that made him do what he did.

Of course, Tsukishima found himself feeling less than enthusiastic about doing something like this. It wasn’t because they would be going away from home for a week, and sleeping in classrooms of some school he had never been to before. Honestly it would be a nice change of pace to get to train with people who weren’t the same every day.

From what he remembered hearing, the Nekoma dance team had a much more impressive practice area than they did, and they specialized in a lot more stuff than just ballet. Realistically, it would be nice, and they had multiple practice buildings they could use from what he remembered. But despite all that, Tsukishima still couldn’t bring himself to say that he was excited about going, maybe it was because his heart wasn’t in it anymore, or maybe there was another reason, who knew? Tsukishima didn’t. But that still wasn’t going to stop him from going.

Tsukishima zoned back in, he was certain all he missed out on was Hinata and Kageyama both gushing over going to Nekoma for training, and then Daichi reminding them that they needed to pass their exams first, which somehow brought down the mood as a panicked look appeared on their faces. It wasn’t until Daichi looked over at him that Tsukishima truly started paying attention again.

“Okay now that that’s over, I have a few ideas for a new routine I want to try out. And Tsukishima is going to get the spotlight.”

“I’m what?” Tsukishima stood up and stopped slouching against the barre, his eyes widened as he looked at both Daichi and Suga, who both looked at Tsukishima as if they were expecting something out of him.

In terms of dance techniques and routines they had done, they built everything around Hinata and Kageyama, with Kageyama’s superior skill and Hinata’s fast movements, it was like those two were doing a perfectly synchronized couples dance and everyone else was just there for the background. That’s what Tsukishima always felt like, a background member, someone who didn’t really matter, his job was to keep the movements in line as those two did their thing. He never considered himself to be the star and never considered himself to be the lead, and that’s how things should be. When it came down to it, Tsukishima knew he didn’t have the confidence in himself to do it.

“You heard me right.” Daichi nodded his head, he was starting to sound a lot like Suga with how he crossed his arms and had this commanding aura around him, like there was no use in arguing with him. “We’re trying to work with new techniques that don’t just revolve around Hinata and Kageyama, we’ve been talking to coach about it, and we want to focus on some our other member’s strengths too, and for Tsukishima, his height and his long legs definitely are a strength for us.”

Tsukishima could feel his mood deepen into something that was even worse than what it was when Suga was hounding him to help the simpletons. Why did it have to be him? He was certain everyone else had talents too, not just his height. There was Nishinoya’s ability to do more somersaults in the air than anyone he had seen, or there was Suga’s ability to always know the right dance steps and bring anyone back in line, and there was even Yamaguchi’s ability, for whatever reason, to be the most flexible person on the team. All Tsukishima had was height, so why, why did it have to be him?

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I really-“

“Now, now, don’t be nervous. You’ll just be the center of attention for part of this new song that we want to try out, we want to use how aerodynamic you are to our advantage.” Suga waved his hands back and forth in the air, it was like he was trying to dismiss something. There was no doubt that that ‘something’ was Tsukishima’s disinterested attitude. Anyone could tell that he didn’t want to do this, and sure, he considered himself to be somewhat of a skilled dancer, but nowhere near the talents of the third years or someone like Kageyama. He wasn’t cut out to do this, and what the hell did they mean by ‘aerodynamic’ anyways?

“It’s not like you’ll be doing it right now.” Daichi added in, somehow trying to convince Tsukishima with a soothing voice. “We’ve already spoken to Nekoma about it, since their practice area is so much bigger than ours, they’ll let us use it anytime during the summer too, we’ll just have to make the trip, of course. Nekomata even said he knows some members of the team that can help. I believe the captain of their team, Kuroo was it? He said that he specializes in ballet and can help you be more flexible. So, it won’t be any problem.”

“Ah! I’m so jealous. I want special help too.” Hinata instantly took control of the conversation, whining as he clenched his fists in his hand, he sounded like a baby almost crying, which didn’t help the mood at all.

It was like they instantly forgot about Tsukishima and his problems, as Suga and Daichi said they had something else completely planned for him and Kageyama. It wasn’t like he didn’t welcome the change of conversation, but why did it have t be him? This was sort of something that he should have expected when he joined a dance team at a school that was known for, at one point, winning dance competitions, but the thought of doing anything with everyone only watching him bothered him more than he wanted to admit. He wasn’t shy, per se, or he didn’t consider himself to be shy, but if you’ve spent your whole life in the background of something, only being known for your height, it would make anyone a little uneasy. Did Tsukishima even have the confidence in himself to dance by himself in front of people like that?

Since joining this dance team he had never once forgotten the steps, but that was because he knew the eyes wouldn’t be on him, they would always be on Hinata, so he had no reason to try to stand out. Even with his height and being the palest person here, Tsukishima still didn’t consider himself to be someone who other people really took notice of. Even with some ‘extra special training’ from someone who knew what they were doing, Tsukishima didn’t think it would make much of a difference.

Yamaguchi lightly taped Tsukishima on the back, it was like he was saying ‘good luck’, even in a situation like this, he knew he would need a lot more than that.

“Are you nervous?” Yamaguchi asked, he could always pick up on when there was something wrong with his best friend, it was a hidden talent you learn to acquire after years of knowing someone.

“Not really nervous, I just don’t want to do it.” Tsukishima shrugged, trying to play it off as if it wasn’t as big of a deal as it was.

Through the open window on the wall opposite of the long mirror, the two of them could see the sun starting to set, it was getting late, and it was hard to imagine they spent the whole day here. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time, but considering how close it was to exams, it was a bit risky.

Given the turn of events and the recent change in conversation, Tsukishima guessed it would only be a matter of minutes until Daichi noticed how late it was and told everyone they would work more on this later, he was always the really considerate type who didn’t want to get in the way of ‘his baby crows’ studies. He always called them ‘crows’ because the Karasuno High mascot was a crow, and since their leotards were black, it seemed to fit.

“Oh, look at the time. I didn’t realize it was so late. We’ll work on this more later, you guys should go home and study.” There it was.

The concerned look on Daichi’s face as he looked at the black watch on his wrist was exactly as he pictured it in his mind. He figured it would only be another few seconds before some of the other members offered to grab something to eat at the convenience store they pass on the way to the station, which coincidentally, was operated by the family of their current coach.

Honestly, it was a miracle nobody heard the sounds of Hinata’s and Nishinoya’s stomachs growling yet. For being the smallest, those two did seem to have the biggest appetite, and it wasn’t like most people remembered to pack themselves a snack for an all day practice like this. The only thing Tsukishima even had all day was some cereal before he left, and some granola bars during break. He didn’t eat much, unlike some of the other members, but it was a miracle he wasn’t starving yet.

“Let’s go, Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima spoke softly as the two of them made their way to the back of the room to grab their bags.

Right now, Tsukishima was contemplating going to the locker rooms to go change or just walk home as he was. He still had his school sports club jacket with him, and it wasn’t like he would get that many strange looks this late in the evening. So, why not? He didn’t feel like spending another minute with the ever so loud Hinata as it was.

“Okay, Tsukki. What about helping Hinata and Kageyama study?”

“We’ll just tell Daichi I couldn’t get out of my family thing, he’d believe it.” That was the total difference between Suga and Daichi, Daichi was gullible, Suga wasn’t. Daichi had a hard time believing his first years would do anything conniving, and he never expected them to tell him a lie. If you wanted to get out of something, Daichi was the one to ask.

Suga on the other hand, he could see through anything, it didn’t matter if it was the smallest lie about how you were late this morning, to the biggest one of saying you couldn’t make it to a practice, he knew it all. It was like his eyes and ears were everywhere, it was almost scary. Tsukishima was still a first year and had only been here a few months, but even he knew who he should and shouldn’t say certain things to. And for a situation like this, it was better to let Daichi be the one to know. It was Tsukishima and Yamaguchi’s fault if Hinata and Kageyama were dumb, after all. It was their responsibility to study, not theirs.

“Okay, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi repeated himself, he wasn’t really one for much words, at least when they were still in a big crowd like this, but he knew as soon as they stepped outside his personality would liven up, it always did.

You could sort of say that was what made their friendship so unique, Yamaguchi was the extroverted, happy-go-lucky talker, always happy and smiling. While Tsukishima on the other hand was the quiet, reserved introvert, he didn’t say much, but he was a good listener, and excellent when it came to observing people. From the first week of school here, he could already peg the personalities of half of the people in his classes. It was a talent, really.

He could especially peg the personalities of everyone on the dance team. Right now, as they gathered their stuff, Hinata and Kageyama would beg Suga to let them stay for an extra hour or two to do some solo practice, Suga would resist at first, but as long as they promised to lock up, things would be fine. Then the ones that weren’t staying behind would all walk to the convenience store together, where Ukai would give them whatever small meals they had leftover, telling them they needed to eat a real meal and remember not to practice so late, and then he would apologize for why he couldn’t be here on the weekends, since he needed to watch the store.

After that they would talk about dancing and whatever Manga are hot right now. It would usually be the point where Nishinoya would eat anything anyone else couldn’t, saying his stomach was ten times his size. They would all laugh and then go their separate ways when they got up the street. It was a pattern that happened every day and Tsukishima had memorized it all too well by this point.

Him and Yamaguchi would always walk home together, since they lived so close to each other. Yamaguchi would rattle off things that happened in his day until Tsukishima put his headphones in, it was there daily routine. Of course, what Yamaguchi doesn’t know is that Tsukishima actually doesn’t turn on his headphones. His best friend likes to ramble off and vent, and he lets him do that without thinking he’s listening to him. Tsukishima isn’t sure why or how this started, it’s just a habit they both picked up in middle school and it’s stuck with this till this day. Well, both of them seem to enjoy it, so it isn’t really a bad thing. Sometimes it’s a little better to listen to someone else’s complaints to make yourself feel a bit better, or at least, that’s how Tsukishima looked at it. He would be surprised if today didn’t turn out to be just like that.

“Goodnight.” Tsukishima and Yamaguchi both said in unison as they made their way out of the practice building, waving at Daichi. They both decided to just walk home in their leotards tonight after slipping on their shoes and jackets. Daichi waved back and Tsukishima soon knew his nightly conversation with Yamaguchi would start.

“So, about the training camp with some of the other schools.” Yamaguchi began, just as he always did, the two of them walking a normal and steady pace down the road they had walked so many times before, he swore he could walk his way home just from memory at this point.

“What about it?” Tsukishima shrugged as he pulled his headphones out of his bag, placing them around his shoulders. They were his signature white ones that read ‘SONY’ on them. They were getting so worn out that every time he looked at them he reminded himself he needed to buy a replacement soon.

“No reason, you just seemed kind of agitated when Suga and Daichi mentioned it. You don’t really get annoyed by this kind of stuff, so I was just wondering.” Sharp as ever, Tsukishima was left with no choice but to answer him, though answer him truthfully might have been a different story.

“Well, would anybody be too thrilled to find out they were going to be the center of attention? Plus, it’s not like working with Nekoma will really help that much. Our skill level is slowly getting up to the point where theirs is, and I don’t see how working with them for one week only is going to help any of us.” Listening to himself speak out loud, Tsukishima thought he sounded rather depressed, he didn’t mean to, and he wasn’t depressed, but whenever he talked, he couldn’t help but have that disinterested, lax tone when he spoke. It probably turned a lot of people off to him because of it.

“That’s true.” Yamaguchi looked down at the ground as he tightened the strap on his green school bag, he had had that thing ever since they were kids, and it was hideous because of its recognizable color, it was almost funny.

“On top of that.” Tsukishima added in, it seemed like he was the one who was doing most of the talking tonight, which was something unlike him. “I don’t have a connection with anyone there like how Hinata has Kenma. They’re all strangers, and you can’t really learn much from strangers.”

“Huh? What about Kuroo, Tsukki? You guys talked before when we had that first practice with them a few months ago?”

“Not really.” Tsukishima felt annoyed, as if the mere mention of his name pissed him off for some reason. Strange, considering he could barely remember the guy.

The ‘Kuroo’ in question was someone who should have sounded familiar for a reason, he was one of the few, if not the only person to talk to him at that first practice they had with Nekoma. It wasn’t anything special, right when they were packing up everyone was saying their goodbyes to someone, it seemed like everyone made some sort of friend from that school that they could connect with.

There was, of course, Hinata with Kenma, Yaku with Suga, Tanaka with Yamamoto, and then there was Tsukishima, someone who didn’t have anything to say to anyone. At that time Kuroo approached him, right when he was making a shrewd comment about Hinata and all of the energy he had.

Tsukishima wasn’t sure exactly what it was he said, but it something along the lines of ‘it’s hard to believe he’s even a high schooler with all that energy’. His comment probably wouldn’t have been heard, but then Kuroo said ‘maybe you should let loose more, and act more like a high schooler’. It was the dumbest thing Tsukishima had ever heard, which was why he told him ‘I’m not good at that sort of thing’, and walked away. It was almost strange how that conversation was still so clear in his mind.

That being said, Kuroo wasn’t the type of person he would ever consider hanging out with, he was the complete opposite of him, and just from a basic observation of people realizing they have the same dance style doesn’t mean he’s going to willingly train with the guy. Even hearing Daichi and Suga bring up his name brought back terrible memories. They called him ‘the king of provocation’, and for good reason, just remembering that dumb smirk he gave him made Tsukishima not want to show up to the practice at all. Ugh.

_Beep. Beep._

It was the first time Tsukishima heard his phone go off all day today, not that he’s the type of person who’s usually super popular when it comes to his phone, but he’s always used to at least getting one or two messages from his mom or brother throughout the day. Normally when he had all day practices like this, his mom or his brother (when he was home) would ask him if he needed any extra food, each time he would tell them no, but it was still a nice touch. He was half expecting it to be from them, asking him if he was on his way home. But when he read the name on his phone, he was sourly mistaken.

_From: Kuroo_

Tsukishima thought that he felt his heart stop, and he couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. What did he want, and how did he get his number?

Well, someone did make the decision that everyone from the two schools should exchange contact information with each other, since so many of them seemed to get along so well, but today was probably the first day that he ever received a text messages from one of them. What did he want?

It wasn’t so much just one text, it was several, a string of them sent back to back, and Tsukishima could barely force himself to keep a straight face as he slowly started to read the text messages. He wasn’t even paying attention to how his walking speed had slowed down, and how Yamaguchi was staring at him.

_Hey Tsukki._

_Daichi told me ur comin ovr 4 training nxt wk_

_Let’s practice 2gether_

_I’ll teach u how 2 b more flexible ;)_

And just as soon as he read it, he closed it, shoving the thing back in his bag so fast he swore he caused friction. He knew he shouldn’t bother asking himself questions like ‘what does he mean’, it was obvious what he meant. He normally wouldn’t have thought anything about it, other than how terrible the texting was, if it wasn’t for one thing, the wink. It was a typo, right? It had to be a typo. Men don’t send men winky faces, and they more so don’t do it when they barely know them. What was he playing at?

“Who is it?” Yamaguchi asked, and Tsukishima was forced to pull himself out of his head. He had forgotten that Yamaguchi was walking right beside him right now, and he was certain he saw who it was from.

“No one, let’s keep going, Yamaguchi.” Whatever the reason, Tsukishima now didn’t want to talk at all, and even more so, he was not looking forward to the training camp.

“Okay, Tsukki.”


	2. Training Camp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karasuno arrives at the training camp, and Tsukishima begins his practicing with Kuroo, where he meets Bokuto, and learns how to be more flexible.

“I’m so sleepy.” Tsukishima yawned to himself as he felt the strength of both Suga and Tanaka pulling him off of the bus. His arms felt like they were almost being ripped out of him as he stumbled down the bottom step of the bus. How many hours did he sleep? Well, it didn’t matter, the sun was still out, and he still didn’t want to be here.

Today was the day, or should he say the week? The point was that it was _that_ day, the day when the Karasuno, Nekoma, and Fukurodani dance teams were all meeting at the Nekoma school for their week long practices, a training camp, as they called it.

Tsukishima was exhausted just thinking about it, and it wasn’t just from the lack of sleep and the long ride over here, he was mentally exhausted and mentally drained from just thinking about what was going to happen here, the people he would be forced to talk to, the dance routines he would be forced to learn. It was all so exhausting just to think about, and he knew there was no amount of sleep that could fix that. He would just have to suffer and deal with it.

“You sure can sleep a lot, Tsukishima. It was almost a three-hour drive and you were out cold for most of it.” Suga laughed as he finally pushed Tsukishima into joining the rest of them. Tsukishima still yawning as his eyes adjusted to the new bright lights of Tokyo.

All in all, it was pretty much just like Miyagi, except for the radio and cell phone towers that seemed to be everywhere, but everything pretty much smelt the same and looked the same as it did back home. Even the Nekoma high school entrance looked the same, the only differences being it had at least three flights of stairs you had to walk up to get to the main floor, and one other thing, there was a lot of red.

Tsukishima remembered vaguely that the school colors for Nekoma were red, but he didn’t remember them being this bright. Maybe he was still tried from napping, but he felt for certain that his eyes might stop working if he kept looking at them.

It didn’t take him long before he realized who and what he was looking at, just like he mentioned before, everyone from Karasuno had their respected friend from Nekoma that they got along with. Hinata was talking to Kenma as he played his game, Suga and Yaku were busy greeting each other, no doubt talking about plans they wanted to go over for the weekend, and Tanaka and Yamamoto were both yelling about something, not that Tsukishima was paying that much attention to hear them. The only real thing he noticed was that Nekoma seemed to have a new member, someone who was taller than him and with silver hair. Tsukishima knew he had never seen him before, and for a moment he thought it would be nice to have someone tall to talk to, he had never had to look up to anyone when he spoke to them before, so maybe this would be a nice change.

On the subject of Hinata and Kageyama, since they were both surrounding Kenma at this point, they both somehow managed to pass their exams, barely, of course. He didn’t hear about it personally, but Tsukishima did manage to hear Suga and Daichi talking about how surprised he was that they passed, even Kageyama got a perfect score on one of his tests, while Hinata, well, he passed, and that was the important thing here. Not that Tsukishima cared either way, he wasn’t sure just how much his studying helped them, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t feel this strange satisfaction in him right now. Odd.

Back into reality. Scanning the area around him, out of the corner of his eye he could see Daichi talking to the captain of Nekoma, the one with that terrible bedhead, Kuroo. He almost despised seeing him here as he remembered the text messages he sent him the other day, the ones that he never replied to. All he could think of right now was that hopefully Kuroo wasn’t the type of person who holds a grudge. No matter how annoying he found them, it probably was considered rude not to reply to someone else, especially when that ‘someone else’ was the captain of another school’s dance team.

As he walked past them, his eyes look down at the concrete side walk, and hoping Kuroo wouldn’t notice him, he could pick up on a little bit of their conversation.

“So, you have a new member, I see.” Daichi smiled, for a minute it sounded like Suga was talking, with how polite he sounded, it almost sounded fake, like the two of them had some sort of rivalry going.

“Ah, that’s Lev. He’s Russian, he’s pretty tall, though he just started dancing about a month ago, we’ll be training him all week and- Tsukki!” As if Kuroo just opened his eyes and looked around the area, he spotted Tsukishima and instantly lost his train of thought, ignoring Daichi and turning his attention onto him.

“Hello, Kuroo.” Tsukishima didn’t know what to do when he felt Kuroo suddenly wrap his arms around him, he was almost taken off balance to the point where his feet didn’t even feel the concrete underneath him. His entire body was leaning into Kuroo, and he could see the concerned look of Daichi from the corner of his eyes.

“Ah, come on, don’t sound so formal, we’re dance partners this week, and you never replied to my texts, remember?” So much for him ignoring him.

“Well… you don’t have to stand so close, Kuroo.” Tsukishima didn’t do well when people got into his personal space, and the way Kuroo had his arm wrapped around him, with his face squishing up against his, it was a definite no.

The over powering cologne that was clouding his nostrils didn’t help either. He had only talked to this guy once before and now here he was, putting himself into his personal space like his, what was with him? Well, Tsukishima guessed he just had one of those types of personalities, but wasn’t this a little weird for him too? They didn’t know each other at all, and most people don’t just go up and hug random strangers like this, even if they were close to the same age. Though, Tsukishima would have to let it go since he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

“Daichi, will it be okay for everyone to start practicing now? Or should we wait a little bit. You guys will be staying in the second classroom on the second floor. We have an open area on the first floor that will serve as a lunch room, so there’s food, and we’ll be doing some performances later, right?”

“Performances?” Out of all of the things Tsukishima picked up on from the information Kuroo just rattled off, that was the thing that stuck out to them. Daichi and Suga never mentioned anything about performances, and he could already feel his mind somewhat panicking. Was he nervous?

“Don’t be nervous, Tsukishima.” Daichi spoke, still not saying anything as Kuroo had ahold of him. Tsukishima knew that they joked about how oblivious Daichi was, but when was it this bad? And where was Yamaguchi?

“It’s just so the other captains from the other schools can see what dance level we’re at, they can’t really help us out if they don’t know our strengths. Oh, and speaking of which, where’s Fukurodani?”

“Oh, Bokuto texted me, they’re apparently running late and they won’t be here until the late afternoon, they will be here, though.”

Tsukishima had several concerns about what was going on, performances? Technically this was a training camp to help them improve their dance skills, but he sort of figured everyone would be doing their own thing. He thought they might train as a team for one or two hours a day, but for the most part everyone would work on improving their individual skill.

Tsukishima knew he said Karasuno’s overall skill level was improving when he talked to Yamaguchi the other day, but they were still the worst ones here. What point would there be in performing when they knew they would be no match to the other teams here? Tsukishima couldn’t understand it all.

“That’s good to here.” Daichi smiled, somehow still oblivious to the way Kuroo was holding Tsukishima. For a moment, Tsukishima started zoning in on the conversation Hinata was having with Kenma just to pass the time.

He was busy jumping around, literally, by a shady tree near the front entrance of the school, Kenma was under the shade and concealed by it so much that it looked like he was almost a shadow. Tsukishima also took notice of how the roots of his hair were growing in more and more, making his natural dark hair clash with the dyed blonde. There was another person with them too, the tall, silver-haired person, the one he heard Kuroo call ‘Lev’, he seemed to be full of energy. Though to his surprise, he didn’t sound Russian at all when he spoke.

“I am the one who is going to become the star next season. Right, Kenma?” Lev spoke with enthusiasm and self confidence, placing his hand on his chest like he was proud, it was almost admirable. They mentioned that he just started dancing recently, so he probably had a lot of unrealistically high hopes right now. It wasn’t too long again when Tsukishima used to be just like him.

Maybe it was when he was in middle school or younger, but Tsukishima used to have people he idolized too, people he looked up to and wanted to be just like. He used to be one of those people who believed that if you worked hard enough that you could always achieve whatever it is that you wanted, but it didn’t take him long to realize that wasn’t true. It turns out that some are just born with talent, and those people will always have an unfair advantage, and no matter how hard you work, those people will always out shine you. That’s just how it is, and Tsukishima knew there were no rules of exception around it, and he was certain no training camp could improve someone’s skills that much in only a week.

“Woah, the star! That’s so cool.” Hinata’s loud voice could be heard over his thoughts, jumping up and down again in excitement, almost hitting his head on the top of a tree branch in the process. Well, Tsukishima could use a laugh so the thought of that did make him smirk.

“Don’t get your hopes up, Lev.” Kenma’s soft voice could barely be heard over the sounds of the beeping of his game. “Don’t you have to talk to Kuroo and Yamamoto before they’ll even let you participate in tournaments?”

“Lev isn’t allowed to compete with you guys yet?”

“He just started learning last month, we have to train him, and-“

“-You don’t have to say it like I’m not in the room!” Lev had an expression on his face where Tsukishima thought he might actually cry, a panicked and embarrassed expression. For a moment Tsukishima almost felt bad for him.

Looking at him, Tsukishima probably figured that Lev was a transfer student who just needed to join a club, the schools usually do like to hound people who aren’t in any type of club. He’s tall and seems to have at least a remote interest in dance, and he’s enthusiastic too. Tsukishima could definitely see him being a good asset for Nekoma for future competitions. Not that it was his place to say who was or wasn’t good enough for a dance team. Out of all the teams here, Karasuno was the only one who didn’t have a right to voice an opinion like that.

“Okay, Tsukki, let’s go.” It was almost as if he forgot the real reason he was here, he got absorbed in watching Hinata, Kenma, and Lev’s conversation, he didn’t even remember that he had Kuroo holding on to him, like he was a growth on the side of his shoulder. A growth that somehow felt very warm and that he couldn’t pull away from. This had to be just be from the heat in Tokyo.

“Huh? Go where?” Tsukishima snapped up, finally getting the strength to push Kuroo off of him. He almost lost his balance when doing so, but easily steadied himself on his feet. He still had that perplexed look on his face as he looked at Kuroo. Seriously, what was with this guy?

“Practice. Unless you had something else in mind? You’re weak and need to work on being more flexible. Karasuno is slowly starting to become a powerhouse school again, you don’t want to bring them down, do you?” Kuroo leered, almost grinning like a cat, with a smug look on his face.

There was that ‘king of provocation’ thing again. Tsukishima was fairly certain he was trying to do it to him on the day they met and with those text messages too, but Tsukishima didn’t care enough to pay attention. Kuroo had a certain way of getting people to do things, sometimes for his own benefit and other times for yours. His personality was borderline on being an asshole, but there was something about him that made it seem like he almost cared. Strange considering the two of them didn’t even know each other. Why would he care about someone like Tsukishima?

Kuroo wasn’t really the kind of person that you could ignore, Tsukishima knew there were only so many times that he could just walk away before Kuroo wouldn’t let him. Though, given Tsukishima’s somewhat stubborn personality, this time he didn’t want to walk away. Maybe it was just the way Kuroo worded his words, or the tone in his voice, but he almost felt enraged, like he was determined to prove him wrong.

Tsukishima knew that he wasn’t the best person on the team, but he knew he wasn’t the one holding them back either. He lacked motivation, he was well aware of that, but didn’t want to do anything to change it. Although, he would be damned if he was going to let some bedhead captain from another school tell him things he already knew. He wanted to prove him wrong, and he was going to do just that.

“Where’s the practice building?” Tsukishima didn’t bother to look at him, he kept his eyes on the ground as he just waited for whatever terrible retort Kuroo was going to say. Despite how he was acting right now, he didn’t hate him, him and Kuroo were probably actually a lot alike, but that didn’t mean he found his personality easy to deal with, and he definitely wasn’t going to start acting like his friend anytime soon.

“Oho? So, you are interested in practicing? Well then, follow me, let’s go get changed.”

 

 

 

“Guh.” Tsukishima wasn’t sure what to expected when he stepped out of the locker rooms, and walked to the empty room in the practice building they agreed to meet in, but _this_ wasn’t what he expected.

One of the perks of Nekoma going to nationals so many times, or downsides depending on how you looked at it, was that their school spared no expense when it came to gym supplies for the dance team. They had not one, but three gym rooms dedicated to dancing, it was almost impressive. Granted, each of them were for a different type of dance style since their dancers were so broad, but still.

Kuroo told him to meet him in the third gym room, it sounded almost pretentious with how he said it, but he was sure that was just his imagination. He didn’t understand until now why Kuroo was laughing when he spoke.

Each of the gym rooms they had represented a different style of dance. The first one was for ballet, it looked identical to their dance room they had back at Karasuno, with a long mirror lining the walls and a barre in front of it. The second room was for hip hop dance, Tsukishima had never attempted to dance anything like that before but the room looked pretty standard, it had another mirror lining the wall and several black mats spread out on the floor. By the looks of it, Yamamoto was already in their practicing. His mohawk somehow seemed to fit the hip hop aesthetic perfectly, and Tsukishima found it impressive that someone could spin their body around while standing on nothing but their head. If he didn’t know better, he thought Tanaka would be trying out something like that soon.

After that there was the gym he was in, the third gym, and it was used for _exotic_ type of dancing, to put it lightly. Though, calling it ‘exotic’ dancing was a bit of a stretch, it was more like it was a room used for solo dancing or practices. It wasn’t that uncommon when you think of how large this school actually is, but that still didn’t make what he was looking at any better. He was looking at a stripper pole, and more notably, Kuroo on a stripper pole.

“Took you long enough, glasses, we’re you having trouble changing?” Kuroo smirked, looking somewhat satisfied as he flipped off of the pole.

He had been hung in a positon where he was almost upside down, his legs wrapped tightly around the pole, supporting his weight, as his arms and torso hung loose. Tsukishima couldn’t help but watch as Kuroo reached forward and grabbed the pole with his hands and swung his weight around, landing on his feet. It looked like he didn’t even break a sweat at all.

“I was fine.” Tsukishima turned his head to the side, determined not to look him in the eye as he walked over to him, and he was suddenly feeling a bit over dressed.

The coach didn’t specifically tell them that they needed to bring their leotards for something like this, most people probably just brought basic athletic gear, since changing into these things can be kind of a pain. Tsukishima was so used to it by this point that he just sort of changed into it without even thinking, but as he looked at Kuroo, he was starting to regret it.

Maybe it was just that Nekoma didn’t have leotards or that they didn’t choose to wear them, but Kuroo with his red t-shirt and black leggings felt far too casual next to Tsukishima in his full leotard. He could feel himself just casually cup his fists in front of his waist and wait for Kuroo to say something, for lack of a better word, he felt so awkward right now, which was a new feeling for him. No matter how many times they had practices with other schools, Tsukishima always wore this and he always felt the same, but this time something was different. Again, maybe it was just the heat from Tokyo, but something about him just felt uncomfortable as he knew Kuroo would be looking at him. What was it?

“Oh, so Karasuno does wear full leotards? That’s cute. You look good in black, glasses.” He teased, and his eyes felt like they were looking over every inch of him, and don’t even get him started on how wearing this thing made his legs feel ten times longer. He was a bean pole, and he didn’t need Kuroo to remind him of that.

There was something about wearing black that just made Tsukishima feel self-conscious, ironic considering he chose to go to a school where one of their main colors is black. Maybe it was just how it contrasted against his skin, or how wearing black seemed to make you look skinner, making every part of Tsukishima’s long, lanky body stand out more. He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t like this feeling of eyes watching him, even if they were only Kuroo’s eyes.

“Can you not call me that? My name is Tsukishima.” Tsukishima felt a stern tone come out of him, it wasn’t intended to be rude, but he wasn’t exactly in the best of moods right now. He felt so awkward, and as he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror that surrounded the room, it didn’t help that feeling at all. He definitely stood out compared to Kuroo. Then again, maybe that was just because of the lack of muscles in his upper arms.

“Tsukki, then.” Kuroo almost beamed as if he corrected him, and Tsukishima decided it was best not to argue with him, especially since he came all the way here to learn a thing or two from him. If he wanted to call him that, then so be it, it wasn’t like he wasn’t already used to Yamaguchi calling him that beforehand, and he could still do worse so it should be fine.

Kuroo turned his back to him and motioned for him to follow him as the two made their way over to the pole. He was surprised Kuroo didn’t have a snide remark or two to make as they did so, something about him seemed like the perverted type, or at least the overly flirty type, but maybe he was wrong.

At a time like this, Tsukishima found himself feeling thankful that there was no one else in the room. It was littered with poles that seemed to line the whole room, with each of them being a few feet apart. He felt almost hesitant as he reached out and touched the cold surface of it with his hand. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but he knew there was no use in hiding the surprised look on his face when he felt Kuroo walk up right behind him.

Tsukishima was taller than Kuroo normally, but he found that with his slouching pose he was in right now, with his legs spread shoulder width apart, that Kuroo seemed to tower over him with an intimidating presence. When he looked at the two of them together in the mirror, it was almost as if he could feel a chill run down his spine, making him cringe as he started to back away.

“Have you stretched out first? This can be kind of demanding when you do it the first time.” There was something about the tone in his voice that made it sound like he was teasing him, but yet still caring for him, like he wanted him to be careful. It was so hard for Tsukishima to figure out what he was doing, and what his intentions were, it almost made him feel like he was laughing at him.

“I’m fine, what do I do?” Tsukishima remained compliant, refusing to meet Kuroo’s eyes, he may have been more determined now than anything to actually do this.

“As annoyed as ever, I see. You never change, Tsukki.” Tsukishima scowled out of reflex, again, he didn’t understand any of the things Kuroo said. Just where did they get off talking like they were buddies, he didn’t know him, and more than that, he didn’t know why he agreed to do this so willingly. Well, he knew why, for practice.

He may have said it before, about he doesn’t know why you should try so hard in something like this when other people are always going to be better than you, it would be easier to just give up, but given Tsukishima’s naturally stubborn personality, he couldn’t. It was like a part of him wanted to get better.

Tsukishima had heard all his life that he had ‘such great potential’, that he could be so much more if he just tried a little bit harder, but he never tried. He never tried with anything, school, sports, studying, even dance, he had no reason to try. Even when he joined the Karasuno dance team, he knew exactly what it was that he needed to do to get by, and that was it, there was no reason for him to do more or less. They weren’t going to win nationals either way, so there was no point to him to do any more than necessary. Until now, that is.

He wasn’t sure what it was about Kuroo, maybe it was the way he edged him on and pushed him, or the way he got him to think and do more, or maybe it was something else entirely, but Kuroo got Tsukishima to show some kind of motivation and determination in the first time in forever, and for once he was willing to try, and try with him.

“Okay.” Kuroo continued from where he last left off, as Tsukishima turned around and gave him a nod, it was as if he was telling him he was ready, or at least, willing to listen to whatever it was that Kuroo was going to tell him to do. “Try not to think of the pole as a pole, try to think of it more as a part of your body. Feel it and try to move along with it, feel it as if it were an emotion.”

“Okay.” Tsukishima didn’t really know how to respond to that, it sounded like Kuroo was trying to sell some kind of impossible product. He still knew they were talking about a piece of metal, right? Well, it didn’t matter, as long as the point got across and Kuroo was happy, it was fine. It wasn’t that big of deal about how enthusiastic Kuroo was about something like this, in a way, him being more enthusiastic made it better.

“Here, take your hands and grip it, and try to pull yourself upward using your upper body.” Did he have to use words like that? Tsukishima was still a teenage boy and all, and slightly immature, how was he not supposed to laugh at phrasing like that? That had to be intentional. Kuroo had to be trying to ease the awkward tension that surrounded Tsukishima. But nevertheless, he still did it, or tried to do it.

Tsukishima wasn’t quite sure about the emotion Kuroo wanted him to put into it, but he didn’t think he would have a hard time at least replicating the move he saw Kuroo do earlier.

He tried to recall in his head what it was exactly that he saw Kuroo do. He just pulled his body up with his hands, spun himself around, and wrapped his legs around the pole. It was that easy, right? Tsukishima wasn’t really skilled when it came to using his upper body in dance, but he was confident he could do it. He wasn’t sure why, but something in him felt even more confident to show Kuroo that he wasn’t just weak after all, almost like he wanted him to praise him and acknowledge his skills. He wanted to show Kuroo that he wasn’t the weak one here.

He positioned his hands on the pole slightly above his head, lifting his feet off of the ground and trying to wrap them around the pole, and to his dismay, it was a lot harder than it looked like.

“Rgh.” Tsukishima made some incoherent sound as his feet were instantly put back on the floor, he could do ballet just fine, but any kind of heavy lifting, and he was out. He didn’t even need to look in the mirror to see the scowl on his face. He was frustrated, just when he decided to finally do something, he couldn’t, and he didn’t have the words for it right now, but this definitely pissed him off, and in a way, he almost felt embarrassed, like Kuroo was right, that pissed him off more.

“Are you mad? You should be.” Kuroo teased him, slapping him on the back, it was like he was telling him ‘I told you this wasn’t easy’. “It took me over a year before I could do it. It takes a combination of upper and lower body training. So here, let me help you.” Before Tsukishima could think or say anything about what was going on, he was met with the hands of Kuroo, which were surprisingly warm, grabbing ahold of his hands.

He could feel his whole body tense up as Kuroo began to slowly guide them, he knew that he could already hear that voice in his head telling him that he needed to loosen up, that he wouldn’t be able to do anything if he kept himself so tense like this, but that wasn’t what he could focus on right now. He had never noticed it before, but since when was Kuroo so attractive? He had never gotten a chance to get a good look at his face until they were so close together like this, but the way his hair seemed to be so messy, the way his eyes seemed to look like they were examining him, and the way he had a subtle smirk on his face as Tsukishima looked back at him, it was truly something Tsukishima had never felt before.

“Here. You should be able to do it if you….” And just as soon as Tsukishima noticed it, it was gone. It was only for a split second, the way Kuroo looked at him, but it almost felt as if time stood still, and Tsukishima couldn’t shake this feeling that seemed to be clouding his vision. What was going on here? Did he… no, there was no way.

“Tsukki, are you listening? Or do you want me to help you?” Tsukishima finally snapped back into reality after what felt like several minutes. He completely missed out on whatever it was that Kuroo was saying to him, probably instructions on how to do something properly. He wasn’t sure what part of his brain possessed him to say what he did next, but he instantly found himself regretting his words when they left his mouth.

“Can you teach me?” It almost sounded like he was begging, and he didn’t even need to look at his reflection to know how desperate he sounded. What was with him today?

Maybe he was just so embarrassed and flustered from not being able to do something that he deemed so simple, or maybe he didn’t want to give Kuroo the satisfaction of knowing he was right, but no matter how hard he tried, he knew he couldn’t hide that look of defeat on his face, and somehow he felt even more embarrassed as he waited for Kuroo to speak.

“Hm. You shouldn’t beg me like that, you know?” Kuroo had an over-confident tone in his voice, and Tsukishima still couldn’t tell what he meant by it. “But, what kind of teacher would I be if I didn’t help out my cute little student.” He winked, and this time Tsukishima was certain Kuroo was the type of person who was a flirt, there was no doubt about it, the way he smirked almost seemed coy and playful, and it felt like Tsukishima’s heart stopped for a minute.

“Okay, first you should place your hands up on the pole like this, spread them apart so you can distribute your weight evenly.” Kuroo began to guide Tsukishima’s hands once again, placing them delicately on the pole with one hand, as the other steadied his hips, his hands felt like they were examining him, trying to figure out how much muscle he had to work with down there. “And be sure to move your hips…”

“Hey, where are you touching?” Tsukishima snapped up once again when he felt Kuroo’s hand gently glide over his hips, he wasn’t sure if it was intentional or not, but the flustered, bright red look on his face must have told Kuroo what he was thinking, or what kind of emotions he was stirring inside of him.

“Just relax, I’m helping you.” Kuroo laughed, still not moving his hands as they rested firmly on Tsukishima, and he swore if he moved them anymore that they would be touching his butt. “Plus, we’re both guys anyways, I would never think of doing something like that to my cute, little student, fore I am a gentlemen. Unless, of course, you would be interested in something like that?” It sounded like a question or an offer of some kind, like he was being half serious right now, and Tsukishima stared at their reflections in the mirror across from them.

He instantly picked up on that subtle gaze in Kuroo’s eyes, it was one of mischief, and he knew instantly what his intentions were, or at least, what part of his intentions were. Did Kuroo swing that way? It was a thought that never crossed Tsukishima’s mind until now. It wasn’t that hard to believe when you really think about it, but Tsukishima had a hard time believing that. Even from the day he first me Kuroo, he seemed like the type who sleeps around, he’s attractive and a people person, he liked to take care of others, and is probably a good kisser too, wait. Why was Tsukishima thinking about something like this?

“I would absolutely not be interested in that, no way in hell!” Tsukishima didn’t mean to yell, but he knew his words came off harsher than he intended, it was like he just realized what he was thinking and was left with rash emotions, it almost made his reaction feel forced, and no doubt Kuroo could pick up on that.

“It was just a suggestion, no need to shout. Sometimes I forget you’re still a first year, you know that? It’s cause you’re so damn tall! Now let’s take this-“ He assumed he was going to say ‘let’s take this seriously’, but the words never left his mouth, and Tsukishima could feel his mind begin to wander as he zoned in on Kuroo’s lips.

Maybe it was just from the heat from Tokyo, or how Kuroo seemed to be sweating a lot from dancing, but there was something about his lips that made them look so much more enticing, maybe it was the way he stuck them out or how pink they looked. Fuck, what was Tsukishima thinking right now?

He didn’t get a chance to finish hearing Kuroo’s thought, or let his own mind continue, because they were both met with the abrupt sound of someone else entering the room. Tsukishima immediately assumed it was one of the other members, whether that be Karasuno or Nekoma, he didn’t care, but both of their eyes turned around to meet an unfamiliar figure.

“Bo! You’re finally here!” Kuroo turned around and met him with a surprised gaze, and Tsukishima watched the two of them in the mirror.

He wasn’t sure who this other man was, he was guessing he was from the school that hadn’t shown up yet, Fukurodani. Looking at him, he was wearing a white jacket that he had never seen before, and his hair was in two pointed spikes, they almost looked like they resembled an owl of some sort, and everything about him screamed loud. His jacket was unzipped and he was wearing a black tank top underneath it, with almost baggy black jeans and bright yellow sneakers. Looking at him, Tsukishima thought his eyes would go blind from how bright he looked.

“Hey, Bro. Haven’t seen you in a while.” The other person, presuming ‘Bo’ spoke with an over enthusiastic tone, it almost reminded Tsukishima of Hinata for a second.

Tsukishima probably would have said something to him, or said something to Kuroo, telling him that since other people were arriving that he would be going now, maybe he at least would go change into something a bit more casual, but he couldn’t. As soon as he even turned around, ‘Bo’ said something to him, still as enthusiastic as ever.

“Ooh, am I interrupting something? You got a new boyfriend, Kuroo?” He smirked, and Tsukishima felt that same familiar chill run down his spine. He would have normally questioned him as to why that was the first thing he picked up on, but Kuroo beat him to it.

He laughed at first, and Tsukishima couldn’t decide if it was a laugh like he couldn’t believe it, or he thought he was flattering him. Either way, he didn’t consider it to be a good thing.

“Bo, this is Tsukki, he’s a first year at Karasuno. Remember, they said they would be joining us this year? Tsukki, this is Bokuto Koutarou, or ‘Bo’ for short. He’s a third year at Fukurodani, he’s also the captain and an expert at hip hop dance. He’s the coolest person you’ll ever meet.”

“Hello. It’s Tsukishima.” Tsukishima nodded politely, and the urge within him to leave seemed to dwindle away. Maybe it was just from how friendly Kuroo and Bokuto seemed, but he found himself not minding staying here for just a little while longer.

“Got a first name, Tsukishima?” Bokuto asked, he had a fake serious look about him, and Tsukishima wasn’t sure why he seemed so curious. Well, this probably would have been his first time meeting their team, so he could understand that. If anything, this week long training camp would be Tsukishima’s first time too when it comes to meeting people who danced more than just ballet. And he already had more than enough memorable experiences from Kuroo just a moment ago.

“It’s Kei. Tsukishima Kei.” He wasn’t sure what in him made him so eager to tell someone he just met his first name.

Nobody on his own team even knew his first name, besides Yamaguchi, Daichi, and Suga, and Daichi and Suga only knew because it was on his application. Though, he guessed it was nothing other than a little bit of curiosity, he figured he probably wouldn’t be seeing either of these two again after this week here. Hell, he might not even be seeing them after this day, since there were quite a bit of people here, even if it was only three schools.

“Ooh, pretty. Isn’t that a pretty name, Kuroo?” Bokuto beamed and Tsukishima couldn’t figure out what he meant by that. What exactly is it that makes someone name pretty?

“It is, isn’t it?” Kuroo seemed to agree, and Tsukishima was starting to realize what kind of person Bokuto was, personality wise at least.

He really was a lot like Hinata, but taller, not as tall as Tsukishima though. He figured he was probably a simpleton, with a short attention span. He was the captain, but probably only because of his superior ability, he was probably more so like a curious little kid with too much energy. He reminded him so much of Hinata on the day they first met, and he knew that if he was right, it would only be a matter of seconds before he was met with a barrage of questions. Bokuto probably was the very curious type.

“You do ballet?” There it was, the questions, and Tsukishima knew there was no point in walking away.

Outside of his enthusiasm and his hair, Bokuto looked strong, with several noticeable muscles visible through his jacket, he was probably also the type that wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Tsukishima could already envision himself making up an excuse and then attempting to walk away, only being met with a strong Bokuto grabbing ahold of him and begging him to stay. There was no point in doing something like that, so for the time being, he decided it was just better to answer him truthfully. It wasn’t like anything would come out of sharing a little bit of information.

“Yeah, Kuroo’s been helping me.” Tsukishima sighed, and in his mind it sounded like more of a big deal than it actually was. He was certain Kuroo heard it as if he was praising him.

“Oh please, don’t flatter me so much, glasses. Oh, speaking of flattering, where’s Akaashi?” Kuroo instantly changed the subject, and Tsukishima found himself feeling thankful for it. He didn’t know who this ‘Akaashi’ is, but his mind felt at ease with them talking about him instead of Tsukishima.

“Oh, he’s changing and helping everyone load their stuff into the classrooms. He also says he wants us to practice our new routine tonight.” Bokuto crossed his arms in front of his chest, and Tsukishima instantly noticed the proud look in his eyes as he spoke, he assumed ‘Akaashi’ was just one of the other members from Fukurodani.

“Oh yeah, you guys are competing in this couple’s dance thing again this year, right?”

“Yep, we came in third last year and this year we’re gunning for that top spot.”

“I’m so jealous, I’ve been trying to get Kenma to be my partner for it, but he keeps making up excuses.” Both Kuroo and Bokuto laughed with pride, and Tsukishima found himself not being able to hide in his curiosity any longer.

It always was a bit of an awkward conversation when you were with people, and they were talking about something or someone you had no idea about, it almost made him feel like he could step out of the room and they wouldn’t even notice. If it wasn’t for him opening his mouth, part of him was actually tempted to try that.

“Couples dance? Akaashi?” Tsukishima raised an eyebrow, half hoping they wouldn’t hear him, but of course, they did. Kuroo instantly picked up on what he said, smiling at him and filling him in with new information.

“Akaashi is a second year on the Fukurodani dance team, you’ll probably meet him later, he’s the serious looking chill one. He’s also Bokuto’s dance partner for the interhigh couples dance competition. Oh, and he’s also his boyfriend.”

Tsukishima could feel himself raise his eyebrows again, he had been doing that a lot today, and maybe it was just how Kuroo worded it, but there was something that seemed almost familiar about the competition he just listed. It almost gave Tsukishima a feeling of nostalgia as he tried to recall where he heard that name before. Well, it didn’t matter that much.

Wait, couples dancing? That was what really caught his attention, as in it was two on two? How did that even work with two guys? And more importantly, we’re their even competitions you could do that weren’t affiliated with your school? Maybe Tsukishima really didn’t pay that much attention to things that didn’t concern him, but could something like those really exist?

“My Keiji is the sweetest, you’d get along with him Tsukki, he has a serious, cute face, just like you.” Bokuto beamed again, with a noticeable shade of red on his face as he did so. And for the second time today, Tsukishima didn’t know how to take being called ‘cute’. Normally something like that would have been a compliment, but was it really considered a compliment when it was coming from another guy? He didn’t think so, but still, he would take it, he guessed.

Tsukishima brought his attention over to the clock on the wall, it was a standard clock you would find in every school. The same ordinary silver trim and the same black numbers almost made him forget he was in Tokyo right now. Though, that wasn’t the reason he was looking at it, maybe he was just a little tired from his nap on the way over here, but Tsukishima found it hard to believe that this much time had passed. What did he even do today? Did he really spend this much time with Kuroo?

“Is it really this late?” Tsukishima couldn’t help but speak, he knew if he didn’t say something there was a high chance he would just get drowned out by Kuroo and Bokuto, and he was still having a hard time getting himself to leave.

“Oh, it’s almost dinner time? Great, I’m starving!” Bokuto yelled this time, and Tsukishima was certain he would go deaf, it isn’t really necessary to yell when the person was standing right next to you. Seriously, he was exactly just like Hinata.

“Tsukki, you should eat dinner with us, we can discuss more dance stuff. Daichi already told me he wants us to practice together for the next few days. So, why don’t we try out some couples dancing tomorrow? It could be fun.”

“Oh, let Akaashi and I join in, we’ve been itching for new people to practice with.”

“Huh? Don’t you have your own team?”

“We do, but my stamina level is really high and Akaashi’s the only one who will practice with me.” Bokuto pouted, and Tsukishima realized they didn’t even get his answer out of this. Couples dancing? As in together? As in Kuroo and him would be slow dancing to some sappy, romantic song? Is that what he was suggesting?

“Wait, couples dancing?” Tsukishima said what was on his mind, and both Kuroo and Bokuto looked at him as if he just said the most foul insult to them.  He felt like saying ‘what’ in response, but decided it was better to just keep his mouth shut.

“Well, yeah.” Kuroo scratched the back of his head, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “If you’re going to even think about improving your dancing skills, you’re going to want to know a wide variety of dances.” There was that provoking nature again, Tsukishima was aware of it, but he still knew there was no way he wouldn’t fall into whatever kind of trap he set this time too. “Or, is it perhaps you’re intimidated to dance with me? You know, Tsukki, I don’t bite.” Kuroo moved closer to him, almost as if he was a predator and Tsukishima was the prey he was stalking.

He had that same look in his eyes as he placed his hand on Tsukishima’s chin, lightly rubbing it with his smooth thumb, and Tsukishima swore he was going to come in to kiss him.

Tsukishima could have done a lot of things right now. He could have walked away, dismissing his hand and not answer either one of them, he could have averted them and quietly told them yes, hell, he could have probably kissed Kuroo right now and no one would have said a thing.

Instead, he decided to do what he deemed the ‘right choice’. Kuroo was provoking him on purpose, knowing he would say yes no matter what. Bokuto watched with amusement, also knowing the outcome of this, and as much as he hated to admit it, Tsukishima knew that he would inevitably say yes too. Of course, that didn’t mean he was going to give either of them this satisfaction. In his head right now he was thinking what the most surprising way to say yes was. If Kuroo was going to be a flirt, then dammit, so was Tsukishima, and with that, he let the words flow out of his mouth without giving it a second though, and without looking at the expression on Kuroo’s and Bokuto’s faces as he walked past them.

“No, but I do. Let’s go eat dinner, we can practice tomorrow, or whatever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long chapter, I'm going to try to update this story twice a week for the next week or so, just so I can start off the story a little bit faster.  
> I kind of feel like this chapter may have had too much dialogue in it, but I'm not sure. I'm trying to find a good balance between dialogue and inner monologue for this story, so I hope it doesn't get too boring.  
> I really liked the idea of writing a flustered Tsukki for this chapter, I also totally love the hip hop Bokuto aesthetic, haha.  
> Thank you guys so much for reading and being supportive of this story so far! Next chapter we will meet Akaashi and get to some actual dancing, also we'll start the plot.


	3. Dance Partners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first official day of training camp starts, Tsukishima does some dancing with Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi. Later, Kuroo asks him if he wants to enter a dance competition with him.

“Tsukki, you’re here! I was beginning to worry that I would have to come and get you.” Bokuto sprung out of the room and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug the second he entered the doorway, and Tsukishima could have sworn he felt his spine breaking in two as he struggled to pull away, making contact with the people around.

“Glad you’re here, Tsukishima.” Akaashi, the much more soft spoken and level headed one of the group, smiled at him, a vague and calming one that seemed to put him at ease. He still couldn’t believe he agreed to do this.

To recap the events of last night, the events that Tsukishima would much rather forget; after they concluded their practice Tsukishima reluctantly ate with the three of them for dinner. He felt kind of bad to leave Yamaguchi with the other members of Karasuno, but unlike him, Yamaguchi actually seems to get along well with Hinata, so he knew he would be fine. Plus, it wasn’t like they weren’t seeing each other when they went sleep in the classroom each night here.

At dinner was where Tsukishima met Akaashi, the quiet spoken second year from Fukurodani, and Bokuto’s boyfriend. To his surprise, he ended up being exactly how they described him, with soft black hair, a stern expression, and a serious look about him, he was the complete opposite of Bokuto, and Tsukishima knew instantly he would get along with him. If anything, it made Tsukishima wonder how two people who seemed to be the exact opposite could become boyfriends, well, it wasn’t much of his concern. What was that saying? That opposite attract? He never really believed in such a thing, but maybe it was true for them.

Tsukishima had said it before, but he was never much of an eater. He didn’t eat much, and it matter if he was home or at school, his appetite was always small, and it was still true for this training camp.

He figured he’d get a couple of comments, people who just so happened to observe him and notice how little he ate, he was used to it, he was pretty sure he got those same comments on the first week of school too. People who we’re in his class would just notice how little he ate, walk over to him, and ask him ‘why aren’t you eating more?’. Tsukishima could always understand their concern, but that didn’t stop it from annoying him, some people just happened to have smaller stomachs, he had always been like this, and he just wished people would leave him alone while he ate. And that was true even for people like Kuroo, and Bokuto.

At least Akaashi seemed to be more carefree about it, but it didn’t take them long to notice how little food was on Tsukishima’s plate, since the four of them all sat at a small table in the corner of the room together. Tsukishima was left with no choice but to sit next to Kuroo, and the first thing he picked up on was the food. He swore he could still hear his ‘that’s all you’re going to eat, glasses?’ mixed in with Hinata’s yelling across the room still ringing in his head when he closed his eyes.

But, the thing that made Kuroo different from every other person who said something like this when Tsukishima ate, was that Kuroo took it to the next step. He went up and got him some more food, coming back with no less than two platefuls and pilling them next to Tsukishima. It was such a bold move that even Bokuto and Akaashi gave him a questionable look.

Tsukishima, of course, was left with feeling perplexed, there was no way Kuroo would have expected him to eat all of that, right? So, Tsukishima snuck out while they were taking up their plates, he went back to the room and opted for an early sleep, there was no way he was spending more time with these people than he needed to. And don’t even get him started on how uncomfortable it was for him to sleep in a classroom, with the ever so loud snoring of Hinata and Tanaka.

His complete discomfort aside, Tsukishima still came back, he still showed up to the third gym like they asked him to, slightly disgruntled face and all.

At first, he was contemplating asking Daichi or Suga what the plan was for everyone today, but he decided not to, knowing they would just tell him to learn more from Kuroo. It was almost alarming at just how willing they were to let him go out on his own like this and practice with pretty much total strangers, but he guessed it was all fine in the end, it wasn’t like Tsukishima cared either way. A part of him was starting to find hanging out with the three of them a little enjoyable.

Outside of Kuroo pretty much forcing Tsukishima to eat, both Kuroo and Bokuto were actually kind of funny, Tsukishima couldn’t help but laugh at the jokes they told, or the time Bokuto almost chocked on a piece of chicken, and Akaashi offered him some pretty sound advice when it came to dancing, as well as how to deal with Bokuto’s overly excited personality. So, if anything, Tsukishima couldn’t say that he hated hanging out with them.

“And how are you going to plan on doing that, Bo?” Kuroo added in to the conversation, making a jab at Bokuto’s comment with over-confidence in his voice.

“Don’t under estimate these muscles, I could have totally carried him over my shoulder.” Bokuto bragged, rolling up his sleeve and showing off his well defined muscles.

“I doubt it, Tsukki’s like twice as long as you are, bro.”

“Nah I totally could have done it, right Akaashi?” Bokuto turned his attention over to Akaashi now, as if he was some kind of tie breaker in this little dispute they were having. All Tsukishima could really do was watch with a slightly amused expression on his face, and he noted there was an apologetic look in Akaashi’s eyes.

“Well, nevertheless, I’m happy you got changed, Tsukishima.”

“Oh, yeah. Your clothes fit me just fine, surprisingly.” Tsukishima had completely forgot about until now, probably because of how comfortable they felt and how he seemed distracted by a lot of the other things today, but after realizing the only ‘training clothes’ he brought with him were his leotards from school, and realizing he was the only one who brought them, Akaashi decided it would be best for him loan him some of his extra clothes for the week.

Despite their height difference, Akaashi ended up being the same size as Tsukishima. He was now wearing one of his extra white t-shirt and blue shorts, the two of them ended up matching right now.

Tsukishima looked at the four of them together in the mirror for a moment, he thought that they looked so odd. Bokuto was still wearing something similar to what he wore yesterday, something in bright colors that made it incredibly obvious that he specialized in hip hop, while Kuroo still wore and random t-shirt and black leggings like he wore yesterday. He knew they mentioned they would be doing ‘couples dancing’ and Tsukishima still didn’t understand how something like that was going to work. Was it like ballroom dancing? Wait, was he supposed to be dancing with Kuroo? That thought never crossed his mind until now. Was he getting flustered all of a sudden?

“Okay we’ll take it slow today, you haven’t done couples dancing before, right Tsukishima?” Akaashi asked as he prepared to walk over to the other side of the room, he had his phone plugged in to a set of speakers over there, it was just like the speakers they had back at the practice room at Karasuno, and looking at it made Tsukishima wonder what kind of music Akaashi listens to and dances too. He didn’t really give off the same hip hop vibe as Bokuto, and he couldn’t really picture ‘couples dancing’ having anything that had to do with hip hop.

“No, I haven’t.” Tsukishima almost felt ashamed as he hung his head low to the ground, he started counting the tiles on the wooden floor as he spoke up again. “I didn’t picture you to be into hip hop, Akaashi.”

“Oh, I’m not, really.” He spoke up, turning around and directing his attention towards Tsukishima, as Bokuto and Kuroo both carried on their own conversation in the background. Tsukishima could hear them, and it sounded like they were talking about something regarding what to eat for dinner and some idol group that Bokuto started listening to.

“I actually do ballet, like you do, Tsukishima. But, Fukurodani is known for their hip hop, after all. So, Bokuto and I do couples dancing on the side. It’s good scholarship money for college, and…” Akaashi looked around the room hesitantly, it was like he was making sure Bokuto and Kuroo were both carrying on a conversation. “Don’t tell him I told you this, but Bokuto is actually pretty good at ballet too, it just doesn’t suit his image.”

“His image? Hey, Akaashi, what exactly is couples dancing? Is it like ballroom dancing?” Tsukishima wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but Bokuto did have a certain aesthetic that surrounded him, with the hip hop clothes, the way he talked, and presented himself, it was all very different to how Akaashi appeared, and way different from the ballet dancing he felt like they were about to do.

Akaashi didn’t have a chance to speak up or respond to him, but judging from the look on his face, it didn’t look like he was going to respond anyway. He had a certain look in his eyes, almost as if his eyes too were smirking, he didn’t know how to explain it, but it felt like he was telling him ‘you’ll find out soon enough’.

Normally, Tsukishima would have been bothered by something like that, he always hated it when people would make vague statements. It was like reading a book that had an open ended, left up to the reader’s interpretation. Though, there wasn’t much Tsukishima could do about it, by the time he registered that look in Akaashi’s eyes, it was too late, Kuroo and Bokuto’s conversation had ended, and the two of them were already making their way over to where they were standing.

“Don’t be nervous, Tsukki, I’ll show you the ropes.” Kuroo almost snickered as he looped one arm around Tsukishima’s shoulders. He felt like scowling and brushing him off, but he decided not to in favor of just going along with it. He didn’t have a reason to turn him down and walk away right now, and if things got too bad he could always go hang out with Yamaguchi, that was always his solution to things. He would always go along with things until he felt like they became too much of a hassle, and right now, this was pushing it.

Akaashi went back over to fiddling with his phone that was plugged into the speakers, probably selecting a song, as Kuroo led Tsukishima to the center of the room, with Bokuto following them only a few feet away. Tsukishima glanced up and took another brief look at himself in the mirror, his fists were both clenched in front of him, and he could see the disgruntled look on his face as he brought his attention to Kuroo.

“So, what is it exactly that we do for couples dancing?” Tsukishima brought his eyes up, he hated when he felt like he was forced to ask questions like this, there was something about this that made him feel vulnerable and desperate, and there was no doubt Kuroo could tell that about him. The last thing he wanted right now was to give Kuroo more fuel to provoke him with, though, maybe it was already too late for him to be worrying about that.

“Just follow my lead, you’ll get it in no time.” Kuroo smirked, and Tsukishima didn’t have much time to process anything before the music started to play.

He wasn’t sure what the song was, but most of his tastes revolved around more indie music that didn’t really work for dancing to, but it had some kind upbeat tempo which was a surprising difference between the classical ballet he was used to.

At first, he looked in the mirror, watching what Bokuto and Akaashi were doing, and then Kuroo. He was guessing they all danced to this before because they knew exactly what to do. Though right now, it wasn’t as much of a routine as it was just freestyling, and that was evident from the unexpected look on Akaashi’s face when Bokuto lifted him in the air, twirling him in the process.

He watched them for a few more seconds as Bokuto placed his hands on Akaashi’s hips, spinning him around as the two of begin to step in rhythm to the music. Tsukishima couldn’t begin to describe it, but the song seemed perfect for them, as Bokuto even lifted Akaashi in the air a few times, and the expressions on their faces seemed like ones of people who were happy.

“Here, Tsukki, follow my lead.” Kuroo repeated himself, grabbing Tsukishima’s attention as he guided him with his hands.

Tsukishima wasn’t quite sure what to do, with Karasuno and with ballet, it was more about timing your dancing by yourself with the music, he was always in the back so it didn’t really matter if he messed up, as long as it looked like it fit well. With this, it mattered, he had never danced with another person like this before, and he suddenly felt a little self-conscious as he realized Kuroo’s movements were so much more precise than his.

Kuroo’s movements felt very complete, with the way he slightly rolled his hips, to the way he pointed his hand and placed his feet on the floor, even the way he moved felt amazing. In a moment like this, Tsukishima felt envious, Kuroo wasn’t the best dancer, but he was skilled all around, to the point where even if it was the first time he was dancing to something, it felt like he put his all into it, like he was a professional. It was something Tsukishima wished he could do, and something in him felt compelled to let Kuroo lead him as he did so. Maybe there was just something in him that knew he could learn a lot from Kuroo, or maybe there was something that liked the aesthetic that Kuroo had, but Tsukishima went along with it, trying to mimic him.

Kuroo spun Tsukishima around, to the point where his back was up against his chest. He swore that he sensed his body jump when he felt Kuroo place one of his hands on top of Tsukishima’s, and the other on his hip. He was still guiding him, showing him where to go, what to do with his hands, how to roll his hips the right way. If he didn’t know better he would say that he was seducing him.

Tsukishima didn’t know what snapped in him just now, but he reached down with his other hand, placing it on top of Kuroo’s hand that was on his hip, and he spun himself back around, facing Kuroo as the two of them continued to dance to the music. He let Kuroo grab ahold of his hips and lift him up in the air, in a similar manner to what Bokuto did to Akaashi a few minutes ago. Strange, normally when it came to dancing, he would only jump but never be carried by someone else like this. Maybe it was just because of how Kuroo’s hands felt when they touched him, but for the first time in a long time, Tsukishima could feel a smile spread across his face, like he was happy and satisfied about this.

His feet touched the ground just as soon as they had left it, but the effect was still there, and that same look was still on his face as he could hear the music die down into a slow fade. He was guessing this was probably more of a sexual romance song, now that he listened to it, which explained why Kuroo was so close to him, and why he just so happened to let him touch him the way that he was, not to mention that impeccable look that still remained on his face.

Kuroo wrapped another arm around Tsukishima’s waist, letting his other hand lightly caress his skin there, running his index finger ever so slowly across his lips, like he was getting ready to kiss him. Of course, he knew it was all a show, something he was doing for the sake of the dance, but Tsukishima had a little thought cross his head that he wouldn’t mind if they actually kissed right now. It was a terrible thought and one that he was ashamed of, but he wouldn’t have minded. And he couldn’t help but wonder if what they just did was natural. Was it normal for two guys who barely knew each other to dance this close to this romantic of a song? Probably not. But that didn’t stop Tsukishima from wishing that they could do it again.

The song stopped and it wasn’t long before their hands well apart and returned back to how they were a few moments ago. Both of them were panting from what felt like a very exhausting work out, and Tsukishima swore his body turned cold from the lack of contact. Not that he was going to say anything about that, he knew it would only be a matter of minutes before Bokuto or Akaashi said something, some sort of comment about Kuroo and Tsukishima dancing together, he could already see the excited look on Bokuto’s face.

“I didn’t know you could dance like that, Tsukki. Wasn’t he great, Akaashi?” There it was. Bokuto beamed as he ran over to them, Akaashi following behind in a slow walk, with Kuroo walking to the other side of the room to grab a blue plastic water bottle.

“He was.” Akaashi hummed and he looked like he was examining him, something about it still made Tsukishima feel a little bit uncomfortable. “I’ve never seen a first year be on that skill level before, Tsukishima.” He had only known him for a day, but Tsukishima could tell that Akaashi didn’t mean anything rude by it, though it felt like there was a ‘but’ coming, like he wanted to say more and decided not to, and something about that still bothered him. Still, he had a pretty good idea of what that was.

Tsukishima was never really one to be enthusiastic about much, he had already said that and knew that about himself, but seeing that expression on Akaashi’s face only seemed to solidify it. He knew what he was implying and what he didn’t want to say, that that was the first time Tsukishima really tried, the first time that he really seemed enthusiastic. He didn’t know how, but Akaashi seemed to already know him so well. Though, it wasn’t technically a lie.

Something about all of this made Tsukishima want to try harder, to keep up with Kuroo, to be on his skill level, and to impress him. He didn’t know why, maybe he wanted to get his praise or surpass him, or maybe he was thinking of him as his rival now, but something inside of him snapped, and it felt like Tsukishima had never really danced until now. Dancing with Kuroo unlocked something new within him.

Kuroo walked back over to where the three of them were, with that usual complacent smirk that Tsukishima grew to recognize on his face, and he couldn’t help but soften his expression as he anticipated what he was going to say.

“You seemed really into it, glasses. I would have thought you had done sort of thing before.” He smirked, taking a sip of his water. He gestured for him to take a sip too, probably knowing how parched he felt. Tsukishima reluctantly forgot his water back home, so he took a sip, the cool water almost burnt down his dry throat as they let Bokuto carry on the conversation.

“You two were so amazing together.” Bokuto almost sang out. He instantly started to climb up one of the poles that were in the room, he looked like an excited kid playing on a jungle gym as he spun himself around it. “You two should become partners and do the interhigh couples dance tournament.”

“Hnh.” Tsukishima made some kind of incoherent sound, choking and coughing on the water Kuroo just handed him. He felt it almost sting as Akaashi lightly patted him on the back.

On the subject of drinking, he didn’t even have time to think about if it meant anything, taking a drink right after Kuroo from the same bottle. When he was a little kid he used to always hear that was the equivalent of kissing someone, but his mind didn’t have time to dwell on something so childish right now. Mainly because he was distracted by Bokuto.

“Is that even allowed?” Was the first thing to leave Tsukishima’s mouth. He wasn’t dismissing the idea, he wasn’t saying no or that was an outrageous thing to say, he was showing interest and curiosity. He knew next to nothing about this dance competition they kept going on about, but he found that he was having a hard time processing his thoughts into words. What were they even talking about?

“There aren’t any rules that say you have to go to the same school, just as long as the two people competing go to a high school. You have to go to a couple preliminary things though, just to be judged to see if you can dance well enough to be in the competition, and you’ll meet some of the other people too.” Akaashi spoke calmly, like he was just rattling off some information.

There was a look in his eyes as he looked directly over to Tsukishima, it told him that he knew exactly what he was thinking and feeling. Akaashi knew about Tsukishima’s uncertainty and how curious he was, it was almost like he wanted to help him out but knew he was too shy to do it himself, and that alone made Tsukishima put his guard up.

“It’s really not that big of a deal, you two should do it.” Bokuto added in, he seemed oblivious to the way Akaashi was looking at Tsukishima, but then again maybe that was for the best. He couldn’t seem to ignore the nagging voice in his head telling him do it.

In a way, it felt like all of this was happening so fast, just a few moments ago the four of them were dancing together, and now they were talking about some dance competition Tsukishima knew next to nothing about, even trying to convince him to join it with Kuroo. it all felt like such a big headache, but Tsukishima couldn’t dispel the idea of wanting to do it. Dancing with Kuroo again had a nice ring to it and unlike any dance competition he was a part of at Karasuno, something about this had some kind of appeal to it.

It wasn’t so much that he should do it, but that he wanted to do it, even Tsukishima knew that. He had every reason in the world to decline right now. Kuroo was in his last year of school and probably busy with entrance exams, while Tsukishima would soon be struggling with whatever new routine Daichi and Suga wanted him to learn, and both Tsukishima and Kuroo lived several hours away from each other. He was pretty sure something like this wasn’t even possible, plus there was summer homework assignments too, and who knows how many times he would be coaxed into helping Hinata and Kageyama study.

He guessed there was really nothing to this, other than four people discussing an insane possibility, so it wasn’t like they could do it even if they wanted to, but Tsukishima still struggled to form the words ‘no’ on the edge of his lips. It was the logical answer, but something the logical answer isn’t the one that you want to do. Maybe it was time for him to do something impulsive.

“I’m game if you are.” Kuroo snapped up, looking at Tsukishima with a dead serious look in his eye. “I’ve wanted to enter this thing for a while now, but Kenma always says no.”

“But we live a few hours away, how will we-“ Tsukishima didn’t expect him to say that, he thought the four of them would laugh it off and go eat lunch, but the way Kuroo spoke almost seemed like he was interested.

“I can make time, I’ve got some money from a part time job I’ve been working, so I can always travel to see you on the weekends, or even during the week.”

“Ooh, where you been workin’?” Bokuto snapped up, eager to change the flow of the conversation, and Tsukishima knew his window of opportunity to answer Kuroo was short and growing shorter by the minute, the flow of conversation always seemed to change quickly around Bokuto because of how hyper he always appeared to be.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to do it, it was quite the opposite, actually. The idea of it sounded enticing, they win scholarship money if they win, the school gets a growing reputation, and he gets to dance with Kuroo again. But there was this growing uncertainty in him, he would have to balance his schedule, keep up with school work, learning dances for Karasuno, and a dance with Kuroo, maybe even multiple. It would be tough, but Tsukishima was more than confident he could do it. He had never felt this kind of things before, and when he danced with Kuroo it almost felt like he wanted to achieve something, he wasn’t sure what, but he was getting the longing sense that he wanted to do this.

“You’d need to get Daichi’s permission, since you’d have to dance with Kuroo on your own free time.” Akaashi spoke softly, just softly enough where only Tsukishima would hear him. Bokuto and Kuroo were still talking about his job, and as he listened in, Tsukishima made a mental note that he worked at a convenience store not too far away from the station.

“So, you’re saying you think I should do it?” Tsukishima returned him with a similar whisper. It was like he was asking himself at this point more than he was asking Akaashi.

“I’m saying you should do it if you want to do it. Though, it would make Kuroo pretty happy, and you seemed pretty happy yourself when you danced with Kuroo. Of course, if you need any advice you can always ask me.”

Tsukishima nodded, he knew there was no real way to respond to that. What both Akaashi and him wanted him to do was tell Kuroo, it was a simple thing to say, yes, or ‘I’ll dance with you’, and even if they had the travel thing worked out, there was something in him that was preventing him. They still needed Daichi’s permission, but Tsukishima’s grades were good and he was revered as one of the ‘good students’ in the school and on the dance team, he knew it would be no problem. Maybe he just needed time, this was a bit of a rash decision, but something in him didn’t want to say yes or no at this moment.

“Um…” He spoke up softly, getting Bokuto and Kuroo’s attention as they ended their conversation. “About the couples dancing thing… can I… have a day to think about it?”

Kuroo seemed surprised, like he expected Tsukishima to flat-out reject it or never bring it up again, his eyes grew wide and a flustered tone escaped him as he most likely tried to decide what to say. Not that that was a reaction that Tsukishima wasn’t expecting, he half expected him to burst out laughing, probably thinking it was a joke.

“Y-Yeah, Tsukki, that’s fine. You mean you’re actually okay with it?” He seemed more serious than he expected, brushing his hair out of his eyes, Tsukishima could easily pick up on the almost happy look in them, like he expected something to be terrible but it ended up being good, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but have a subtle thought that that expression looked cute on him.

“Why are surprised when you’re the one who asked me if it was fine?” Tsukishima turned his head to the side, slightly pouting as he forced himself to say something else. “I’ll talk to Daichi at lunch, but I still want to at least sleep on it just to make sure. So, let’s go eat lunch.” It was getting later in the day, and Tsukishima was getting increasingly well aware of just how loud Bokuto’s stomach was getting, though more than anything, this was used as a conversation changer.

He knew that Daichi would say yes, and he only needed the advice of one person now, his best friend. If anyone would know what to do and had an opinion he could trust, it would be Yamaguchi. He figured he would slip away sometime this afternoon and talk to him for about twenty minutes, then he would come back to Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi in the evening and tell them his answer. Or at least, that’s what he thought. Truth be told, Tsukishima didn’t know what he was doing, but if Yamaguchi could offer any advice, he was going to take it.

“Ooh, I’m starving, you better eat lunch with us, Tsukki.” Bokuto yelled, not giving him a chance to say anything as he yanked on his arm and instantly pulled him out of the doorway. Though, just like before, he had no intentions of saying no.

 

 

 

The Nekoma lunch area, or the room they used as a lunch area, looked more like a room with some cooking appliances that now just happened to have some chairs in them, was crowded as always. The four of them instantly claimed their spots in the back corner, the same back corner they sat in yesterday by the window, and went up to get their food. He guessed that today was some variation of burgers, judging by the smell, and the ungodly amount of meat on Tanaka’s plate as they walked past him.

From behind him he could hear the sounds of the ever loud Hinata talking to Kenma, he guessed those two probably spent the entire morning together, which was strange to see Hinata without Kageyama, but who was he to concern himself with his teammates?

Kuroo stood directly behind Tsukishima, with Kenma right behind Kuroo and then Hinata, making it easy for the four of them to hear what each other were saying, as they all stood in line to pile meat on their plate. Above everything else, the noise of Hinata’s yells as he recapped the morning, and the beeping from Kenma’s game seemed to ring in his ears above everything else.

“You haven’t beaten that yet?” Kuroo asked as he leaned his head back, looking at the screen of the game Kenma was holding. Tsukishima didn’t know anything about video games, but from the serious look on Kenma’s face, he guessed that it was pretty engrossing.

“It’s the new RPG that just came out, I’m about eighty hours in, getting ready to face the final boss.” Kenma’s tone sounded just as unfazed as ever, refusing to look up and continuing to tap away at the buttons on his game.

“Okay, just be sure to put that thing down to eat, and don’t forget to not lazy out on dance practice, I know you tend to put forth less effort when I’m not there.” Something about the way that he spoke struck a chord with Tsukishima, in a good way. He didn’t really picture Kuroo to be the caring type, but he almost seemed like a big brother as he watched over Kenma and looked at him caringly. It was almost cute as he realized the perverse, trouble maker look that Kuroo had didn’t quite match his actual personality.

“Woah, you really like to take care of Kenma, don’t you, rooster haired captain?” Hinata had an awestruck expression about him, and both Tsukishima and Kuroo shot him a questionable look at the new nickname he gave Kuroo. it really wasn’t a good idea to give people nicknames on the spot, but then again, this was Hinata they were talking about, he would say the first dumb thing that came to mind, regardless if he just met the person. He really was the definition of a simpleton.

“That’s right.” Kuroo smiled at him, a charismatic smile as if he was talking to a little kid. “I take care of all the people who are on my team, don’t I, Tsukki?” Somehow Kuroo managed to turn this conversation around, smirking at him as if he was implying something.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Tsukishima shrugged, moving up in line and putting a simple hamburger on his plate. He could still hear the fervent chatter from Hinata behind them as they made their way back to the table.

“Ah, don’t play like that, Tsukki.” Kuroo whined as the two of them sat down, side by side of course. Tsukishima noted the complete opposite of their plates, his with only one burger and Kuroo’s with at least three. Seriously, how was he going to manage to eat all that? “We’re going to be partners soon, after all.”

“That’s only if Daichi says yes…”

“Says yes to what?” Again, Tsukishima had the worst possible timing. As soon as he said that Daichi just so happened to be walking by, a mouthful of food as he stopped. Tsukishima never really considered himself to be the kind of person who had anxiety, but his mind felt like it was having a panic attack right now.

He brought his eyes down, getting ready to make an attempt like he wasn’t actually saying his name. He had learned by now that Daichi could be pretty dense about most things, all he would really have to do was pretend he said something else that sounded like ‘Daichi’. He was speaking softly as is, it wouldn’t be that hard, right?

“You know what the interhigh couples dance competition is?” Kuroo spoke up before he had a chance to, a mouth full of burger, making his words that much more difficult to hear and understand.

“Yeah, Suga’s talked about it before, at one point we wanted to enter it together. Why?”

“Tsukki’s gonna be my partner for it, that okay with you?” He took another bite and their conversation turned much more casual. Tsukishima forced himself to bite down on his lower lip as a way of keeping himself quiet.

What was Kuroo thinking? Well, he knew what Kuroo was thinking, he was asking Daichi for him, which normally would have been something that made Tsukishima that much more relieved, but right now it was just making him freak out more. Maybe it was just because the real reason Tsukishima didn’t have an answer yet was because he wanted the opinion of someone who was more than just the team captain. But with Kuroo doing this, he had no choice now but to answer him right away. It was fine, everything will be fine, there is no reason for any of this to be causing Tsukishima to feel this way, but still, here he was.

“Fine by me.” Daichi’s tone made it seem like he was taken by surprise, but something on his face told Tsukishima he didn’t mind. Shit.

“Great.” Kuroo perked up, happy, and mouth still full of food. “I’ll be visiting Miyagi on the weekends so I can work with him. You should tell the other members of Karasuno that they should get used to seeing my face around.”

“Well, I don’t know about that.” Daichi joked and they both laughed. The two of them seemed to have almost a rivalry going on when they were together most of the time, and Tsukishima wondered why he didn’t seem like he put up more of a fight. Well, it wasn’t like Tsukishima was switching schools, everything after this would have been on him and Kuroo, which somehow unsettled him even more.

Daichi looked behind him, and from the corner of his eye, Tsukishima could see Suga watching closely on their conversation, standing in the other corner of the room. He knew it was probably only a matter of time before he walked over here to see what they were laughing about.

“Suga’s waiting for me, so I should go. But have fun Tsukishima, even just competing in that competition can do wonders for your future.” Daichi sounded almost like a dad as he walked away, reminding Tsukishima of his ‘oh so important’ future.

Honestly, it was such a headache to think about it at this point that Tsukishima always just put it off. He still had two and a half years of high school, and outside of dance, his future was as blurry as ever. Hell, even with dance, Tsukishima still didn’t know what it was that he wanted to do. He always did have an interest in science, but he wasn’t quite sure at this time if that was something he would want to pursue.

If you’ve taken everything that’s happened with Kuroo today aside, his love of dance was still pretty scarce, and he didn’t know if this was just a one time thing or not. Sure, it was fun to dance with Kuroo, and Tsukishima did feel something, but maybe that was just a combination of the summer heat, being someplace new, and the somewhat different atmosphere that was Nekoma and Fukurodani’s dance teams. Tsukishima and Kuroo could go to practice together and all of this could be gone. That’s why he needed some other kind of verification, he needed Yamaguchi.

“Well, looks like that was easier than I thought.” Kuroo hummed, sticking another bite of food into his mouth. Tsukishima forced himself to look away, there was no way he could take anyone seriously with a mouth full of food like that.

“Is it okay if I still sleep on it for the night?” Tsukishima hated asking that, he knew there would be no problem in doing that, he could even already hear Kuroo saying it would be fine, but in his mind, it wasn’t. In his mind, he could feel himself freaking out over it, worrying, wondering what would happen next. It was to the point where he felt restless. Why was he worrying so much? And more importantly, why was he only worrying like this when he was around Kuroo?

“Yeah, it’s fine, we still have five more days. I’ll go ahead and start thinking of songs we can do, though.” Kuroo seemed happy and understanding. It was something that he didn’t really think fit his personality at all, but it still managed to work. How could someone feel like such an intimidating asshole but still be this nice? It didn’t make any sense, but then again, neither did Tsukishima.

“Okay, we should probably go back and practice more after this, right?” He reluctantly finally took a bite to eat, the burger tasted just as gross as it looked, with way too much cheese lathered onto it, but he had more important things to worry about than that, he figured he probably wouldn’t eat much of this anyways.

He wasn’t sure why he suddenly seemed so gung-ho about this, but Tsukishima just started talking without thinking, maybe it was for the better, but a part of him didn’t like not thinking over his thoughts before he said them.

“Hey, Tsukki…” Kuroo spoke up again, and he turned his head to the side to meet him, he noted that Bokuto and Akaashi were still in line waiting for their food, so it was only the two of them at the table. “You have some food on your face.”

In a swift motion, Kuroo easily wiped away the stain from the burger that was barely clinging to the side of Tsukishima’s face. His fingers felt so delicate and so caring, and he was sure that it felt like he kept them there for longer than a second. It was just a touch, but something about it made it seem like it was more than that, or at least, it did to Tsukishima. He wanted him to touch him again.

“Thank you.” He mumbled out as he brought his face back down to looking at his plate. He couldn’t bring himself to look eye to eye because he knew his face was bright red. Of course, having pale skin didn’t help either. He was unsure about so many things right now, but that, he was sure of. And more so anything he really needed to talk to Yamaguchi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally got to some actual dancing this chapter, as well as some more characters. This chapter was really fun to write, though I did find it a little difficult to write dancing, but i still hope you guys enjoy it. We're finally getting to the plot of the story, so that's exciting. Feel free to always comment if you have any ideas for this story, ideas for characters you want to see in this story, songs you want the characters to dance to, or if you see any typos cause I'm slightly paranoid that I'm going to type 'volleyball' subconsciously instead of 'dancing' somewhere in this story, haha. :)
> 
> Next chapter I'll finally get to write more Yamaguchi into the story, it'll probably also be a bit of a shorter chapter, but I'm still looking forward to it. :)


	4. Confession & Answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima confides in Yamaguchi about his feelings for Kuroo, and then he gets an unexpected visitor while he's in the shower.

“What’s this about, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi spoke up quietly, in his usual polite tone as he smiled at Tsukishima. Even in a situation like this, it was well past the curfew that was set for the summer camp, and Yamaguchi still agreed to meet him here at this hour, he was a true friend.

Thinking about curfew, it wasn’t as big of a deal as it would make you think. With Nekoma school being at the heart of Tokyo, they have pretty much everything you could want a few blocks away. The school was right across the street from a convenience store that stayed open 24/7, and the station was only just down the street from that. they had just about everything you could ever need, and most people took advantage of that.

On the first night here, all the coaches and captains set some ground rules that everyone was to be back in the school by six in the evening, and they could keep practicing until ten. They also set a rule that if anyone was out past dinner that they had to be with at least one friend. Tokyo wasn’t exactly a dangerous place, but with it being one of the few times Karasuno had been here, the last thing they wanted was for any of them to go wandering off and getting lost, mainly Hinata.

They didn’t mention it out loud, but it wasn’t that hard to imagine him and Kageyama going out for a run and ending up lost. Plus, those two idiots were just the type of people who probably wouldn’t carry their phones on them if they did that. That rule was specifically set up for their favor alone, though, it wasn’t like anyone else could complain. Tsukishima had no intention of leaving this place that late at night. Hell, it would be a miracle if Kuroo and Bokuto managed to sweet talk him into staying with them for a late-night practice, though for the past two days that did seem to work.

Tsukishima couldn’t really explain it, but even now all Kuroo had to say was ‘hey, Tsukki, let’s practice after dinner’ and he would, he would almost without hesitation follow Kuroo to the third gym, and dance with him until he felt like his legs would snap in two. Maybe he was just that eager, or maybe there was a different reason, who knows? Tsukishima didn’t, that’s why he asked Yamaguchi to meet him here. Here being the shower room in the practice building.

It was one of two rooms the captains said they could go in after hours if they couldn’t sleep, the other room being the locker room. Though from what he had already experienced, the locker room was hot and stuffy, at least here he could rinse off the sweat from the day and try to relax, because, of course, he spent so much time with Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi today that he forgot to go to the showers at the designated time for first years. Maybe that was the real reason why he was here and this it just so happened to be a good meeting place.

Tsukishima had a soft white towel wrapped around his waist as he sat next to Yamaguchi in front of the mirrors, he knew he probably wouldn’t have long to talk. From what he learned, Suga was a light sleeper, and it would only be a matter of time before he woke up in the middle of the night and realized two of the first years are missing. Tsukishima hated talking, but for something like this, he was going to have to.

“What’s wrong, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi repeated himself, and Tsukishima could feel himself sigh as he prepared to talk. He could feel his brain cells screaming because he was about to do this.

“Nothing’s wrong per se… but, well…” He sighed again, taking a deep breath before he spoke. “I think I like someone.” That was the real issue here, the real reason why he was so hesitant to tell Kuroo that he would be his dance partner. It was obvious when you look at the bigger picture, and no doubt Akaashi caught on to it too. Tsukishima liked Kuroo.

“Who?” An expected, almost eager reaction from Yamaguchi.

Thanks to Tsukishima spending so much time with Kuroo recently, him and Yamaguchi had hardly seen each other, and on top of that, they hadn’t had a chance to talk since the training camp started. He wanted to recap everything as fast as he could, how he danced with Kuroo, how they almost kissed multiple times, and how he asked him to be his dance partner, but he couldn’t. They didn’t have the time and Tsukishima didn’t even think he could bring himself to say all of those things to begin with. He would just need to catch Yamaguchi up as best he could.

“K-K..” He started to say his name, to say Kuroo, but his mouth started stuttering, it was almost embarrassing and he forced himself to stop the second he realized it. Even he knew this was never going to work, so he needed to try it from a different approach.

“Nekoma’s captain.” That time it worked, and just as he expected, Yamaguchi still kept that same expression on his face.

“You mean Kuroo? Oh, so it that why you’ve been spending so much with him recently? He is cute.” Yamaguchi laughed, as if it was the most simple thing in the world, and once again Tsukishima realized he was worrying over nothing.

“He’s more than cute!” Tsukishima didn’t know why he snapped like he did, like he was defending Kuroo, which got an even more questionable look out of Yamaguchi. “I mean…” Tsukishima knew he dug himself into a hole, and that there was no choice now but to come clean. “We danced together, we almost kissed multiple times, and he wants me to be his partner for this couple’s dance competition in a few months.” Tsukishima knew the tone in his voice didn’t match what he was actually feeling. He sounded grumpy, when he was anything but, he didn’t know how to explain it, but something clicked in him when he talked about Kuroo.

“Tsukki!” Yamaguchi almost squealed, jumping off the ground and putting himself in his personal space. “That’s amazing! What did you say? You’re totally going to do it, right?”

“Calm down, Yamaguchi.” He always did have a terrible habit of getting excited, which is why Tsukishima only tells him things like this if it’s an absolute emergency. Of course, he knew Yamaguchi was smart enough to pick up on him dodging the question, it was like it was Tsukishima’s own little way of saying no, and he was certain he was getting ready to hear a lecture.

“Sorry, Tsukki. But you can’t let an opportunity like this go to waste. He’s really hot, he’s like an attractive super human, you just have to say yes to him.”

“I know that. We’ve already gotten Daichi’s permission and everything, I just haven’t given him an answer yet.” Tsukishima sighed. This wasn’t exactly the conversation he was hoping to have, but it was one that he was expecting, and even deep down he knew that whatever worries he had meant nothing. What was he concerned about anyway? Falling in love with Kuroo? He was cute but it wasn’t like that was anywhere near the realm of possibilities.

“But what is it’s just a fluke, you know? We danced together today and for the first time I felt something while dancing. I want to feel that feeling again but I keep wondering-“

“You keep wondering if it’s just a coincidence, and you don’t want to make a commitment that you later back out of, right?”

Tsukishima nodded his head, it was scary how Yamaguchi knew exactly what was on his mind. Though, you don’t spend several years with someone, calling them your best friend, without them being able to tell stuff about you like this. Tsukishima had no secrets with him, Yamaguchi always knew what was on his mind, and that was probably a good thing, for the most part. Hell, he could probably say that he knew Yamaguchi just as well.

“Tsukki, if you’re worrying about that, then that probably means that feeling won’t go away.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means that if you’re thinking about Kuroo to the point where you don’t want to do something half-heartedly around him, then that means you really like him. I don’t really know how explain it, but if Kuroo was the one to bring those feelings out of you, then I don’t think they would go away so easily. In fact, I think it would bring even more out of you if you keep seeing him. So, you should do it.”

There was a certain way about Yamaguchi’s words that seemed to always have a wisdom to them. He knew it was unintentional, that Yamaguchi himself even said that he never considered himself to be smart, but they always seemed to encourage him. Maybe it was just how he always said what was on his mind or how earnest he was, but Tsukishima felt a new confidence in him. Or at least, some kind of confidence that would allow him to say yes to Kuroo, and they would take everything else from there. Of course, now that he told Yamaguchi, he knew there was no way he could back out now, he knew he would all but be pushing him to go talk to Kuroo the second they got up in the morning. Though, he couldn’t say he hated the idea of seeing Kuroo again.

“You’re right, thank you, Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima went back to keeping his words short and vague, as he now felt a slight twinge of regret from telling him all that, but even he knew it couldn’t be helped, there was only one thing left to do.

The two of them stood up from the floor, Tsukishima adjusting the glasses on his face as he prepared to get ready and head back to the room. His view felt kind of blurry from the steam from the shower, but he could still see things clearly enough. Turns out maybe all he truly needed was a shower and a talk with his friend to get his mind sorted out. Who knew? Tsukishima didn’t, and he allowed himself to fall back into casual conversation as the two of them got ready.

“But still, you really like him, don’t you, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi laughed, it almost sounded pleasant and heart felt. If he already wasn’t feeling mentally exhausted from a long day, Tsukishima may have answered him truthfully and kept up with the mushy atmosphere that was in the room, but then again maybe that was just the heat from the shower.

“I’m not answering that.” Tsukishima rolled his eyes as he forced himself to look away from him. It wasn’t like he was pissed off right now or anything, but Tsukishima felt mentally drained, like he had already used up all of his mental energy for the night. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to go to bed.

“Who does Tsukki like?” He heard a familiar voice ring in his ear, but it took him several moments to register who it actually was.

Tsukishima was still wearing the same white towel, the one that he just barely remembered to bring with him on this trip this week. Despite how organized he usually was, he was actually pretty terrible when it came to packing. He was always used to getting ready at the last minute, so forgetting things wasn’t exactly out of the question for him. But that aside, Tsukishima wasn’t wearing anything else right now, and he could feel a slight breeze hit his chest as he stood up and looked at the new person who just entered the room. To his surprise, it was Kuroo.

Just like Tsukishima, Kuroo too was wearing nothing but a towel, his hair wet, probably from just stepping out of one of the showers. It was almost hard to recognize him without his signature messed up hair. His former bedhead now was all flat, it made him look like an entirely different person, almost normal, but that wasn’t the main thing that got his attention. It was his chest.

Maybe it was just because it was the first time he had seen him like this before, even when the two of them danced together, the closest he got to seeing anything like this was when Kuroo was hanging upside down on one of the poles and a small space of open skin was visible on his stomach. He never thought anything of it before, but when did Kuroo have so many muscles? Maybe it was just that well defined from the steam and the water, but Tsukishima could feel himself get distracted as his eyes wandered over his chest, running his fingers through his equally as wet hair. Had he always been this toned? It turns out Yamaguchi was right, he was an attractive super human, and he already knew he was in trouble.

“What?” He said without thinking, probably because he was distracted and wasn’t actually paying attention. He could hear the slight laughter of Yamaguchi from next to him, it sounded more like a hum of amusement than laughter, and he could have sworn he felt Yamaguchi nudge him closer towards Kuroo.

“My bad, my bad.” Kuroo put his hands in front of his face, a scheming smirk on his face as Tsukishima finally zoned back in on his words. “We had a captains meeting that ran late tonight, so I didn’t get a chance to shower until now, I didn’t mean to ease drop.” He laughed, and it somehow seemed to ease the tension that appeared in the room. “But my, it’s late, you first years shouldn’t still be in here. If it were Daichi instead of me who found you, he may have lectured you, ha!” He laughed again, and something about it felt awkward to Tsukishima, maybe it was just because of how he seemed to choose his words carefully, but Kuroo almost seemed as if he was nervous right now.

“Sorry, it was our fault.” Yamaguchi was the first one to speak up, already having his clothes back on and heading for the door. “We were busy and completely missed the first year shower times.” He laughed and turned around, this time looking and speaking directly to Tsukishima. “Well, I’m going to head back to the rooms before Daichi notices were both gone, but didn’t you say that you had something that you wanted to tell Kuroo, Tsukki? What perfect timing, right?”

How he managed to say something like that with a straight face was beyond him, but Tsukishima knew exactly what he was doing. The way he smiled and waved, and how he acted like there was absolutely nothing for him to say or do, he knew exactly what he was up to, and something about that look he gave him as he walked away didn’t set well with him. But he had other issues to worry about other than Yamaguchi’s hidden intentions, right now he needed to focus on Kuroo, and more importantly, he needed to focus on what he was saying and not how incredibly shirtless he was before him.

“How much of that conversation did you hear?” Tsukishima started with obvious, and though he wasn’t ashamed of anything, the last thing he wanted was for Kuroo to know something like this. It would probably put a strain on whatever relationship the two of them had been forming these past few days, and more than anything, it would probably make Kuroo want to back out of being his partner.

“Nothing much.” He shrugged and walked closer to where the mirrors on the walls were, he could see him fiddling with his bag and pulling out his clothes. Right now, all of the rational parts of Tsukishima’s brain were just hoping that he didn’t have the audacity to drop his towel right now.

“I just tuned in towards the end of it, something about you having a crush on someone?” He added in as he pulled a shirt over his head, and Tsukishima started doing the same. He didn’t quite know what Kuroo thought of him, something along the lines of being a friend, but he still didn’t like the idea of remaining shirtless around the guy for too long. Then again, maybe that was just because he didn’t want to hear the ‘you’re so skinny and pale’ comments he was so used to coming from his mouth.

It sort of went along with the ‘you need to eat more’ comments he would get while eating lunch at school. Tsukishima didn’t exactly have the same body type as a lot of his peers had. He was tall, lanky, and pale, and a lot of people chastised him for that. he was used to it, and he would honestly say the strange looks don’t bother him anymore, but he still found the almost nagging comments to be annoying.

“Oh, is that all?” Tsukishima almost sighed with relief on that one, and he was hoping Kuroo wasn’t the type of person to stick his nose in business that he didn’t belong in, though, saying he didn’t belong in this business was a bit of an oversight.

“Yeah, I wasn’t really paying much attention to it, so you don’t have to worry. Now if it was Bokuto, he would probably be the kind to tell all of your secrets.” Kuroo laughed again, and Tsukishima forced himself to laugh too as a response, something about the room still felt awkward to him, but he let him continue. “So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?”

“Oh, it was nothing.” Tsukishima looked away, holding his head down to the ground as he could feel his hands reach around in his bag for his pants.

He didn’t have anything to hide, but the confession that Yamaguchi talked about it, it almost made it seem like it should be a bigger deal than just ‘I’ll be your partner’, and it wasn’t like Tsukishima needed to tell Kuroo that right now in this moment, and he most certainly couldn’t tell him that he liked him. What would he even say to a confession like that?

Kuroo was generally an attractive sort of person, both with his personality and with his appearance. It would come as no surprise to believe that he had his few share of confessions over the course of his high school life. He probably had multiple girls who had crushes on him before, but had he ever had a guy feel this way towards him? It was a thought that never crossed Tsukishima’s mind until now, and it was another reason why he needed to be careful of what he did around Kuroo from now on.

“It didn’t sound like nothing.” Kuroo pried but then stepped away, both with his speech and how close he was to him right now. “But if it’s truly no big deal, I won’t force you. You probably feel a lot more comfortable around freckles than you do me, but I’m still a good listener, just so you know.”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.” Tsukishima knew that Yamaguchi set up this opportunity for him perfectly, and he was so distracted right now that he didn’t even notice the nickname ‘freckles’ that Kuroo gave Yamaguchi.

Well, he wouldn’t be the first person to call him that, Yamaguchi’s only really defining features about him were his freckles on his face and how polite he was. Kuroo probably didn’t know his name either, and prior to this training camp, Tsukishima only did really hang out with Yamaguchi. But despite all that, Tsukishima knew what his best friend was doing, or what he was trying to do. He wanted to give him some more alone time with Kuroo, even if it was just a few seconds. He wanted Tsukishima to make that bold move and tell him something, whether that be that he liked him or that he decided he wanted to be his dance partners, he just wanted him to say something.

Tsukishima still had several uncertainties about all of this, but even he knew when to be smart about things. It wasn’t everyday Tsukishima developed a crush on someone, even less so when he has the chance to spend time with that person he likes. Kuroo was a third year and he knew that if he didn’t take him up on this opportunity that their might not be another chance for them. It may be a terrible idea, and Tsukishima may be getting a little too optimistic right now, but everything else from Bokuto and Akaashi suggesting it, to Daichi agreeing to it, to even Yamaguchi telling him to do it, Tsukishima knew he needed to at least give it a try.

“Actually, Kuroo…” Tsukishima spoke up again, bringing his eyes up from looking at the still wet floor of the showers. He couldn’t tell right now if he was actually sweating or if it was just from the steam, but he was starting to feel the stench of body odor get to his nose.

“What is it, Tsukki?” Kuroo spun around, completely fully dressed now, and if he wasn’t already preoccupied, he may have said something about how quickly he got changed and his cute little red cat pajamas. But he knew if he let himself get distracted anymore, he knew that his opportunity to do this with Kuroo would be gone, and he couldn’t risk it. He would have to make some snarky comment on his nightwear some other time.

“I’ll be your partner, for the couple’s dance thing.”

He wasn’t sure what kind of reaction he thought he would be getting out of Kuroo, probably either an excited one, one that seemed pretty chill about everything, or one that gave off some provoking, slightly perverted comment, but the one thing he didn’t expect to be met with was silence. Did he say something wrong? Did Kuroo not want to do this after all?

His mind couldn’t help but go to a slight negative place after that. What else was he supposed to think? Well, it didn’t matter that much, he already said it and if Kuroo changed his mind, it wasn’t like he could persuade him. All he could do right now was open his eyes and try to figure out what the new found silence was for.

“What?” Tsukishima cocked his head to the side in annoyance, as his mind immediately went to the worst possible thing. Was this all a joke to him?

“Oho.” Something about Kuroo’s tone sounded anything but sincere as he continued. “That’s great and all, but you dropped your towel.”

At first, he thought it was a joke, some kind of antic Bokuto would pull as a prank on someone, but when he looked down, sure enough, there it was, or should he say, there it wasn’t. He wasn’t sure how it happened, probably from looking in his bag for his clothes he forgot to keep holding up his towel, but somewhere along the way he must have gotten so distracted that his hands stopped being able to work. Which also explained the cool breeze he was now feeling. Shit.

“Sorry, just pretend you didn’t see anything.” He scrambled, reaching down for his towel that was laying on the ground by his feet, and throwing his pants and underwear on as quickly as he could.

In a way this was probably a good thing, it did ease the atmosphere in the room, but Kuroo seeing him out in the open like that was anything but comforting, and why did he not say anything? Well, it’s not that he didn’t say anything, the smirk that was on his face told him all that he needed to know. In some ways, that told him even more than words could have, and not that he wanted him to have another kind of reaction, because he was still a bright shade of red from the events that just happened. Ugh, today was a disaster.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ve seen Bo naked more times than I can remember. I didn’t mind it, so it was fine.” He winked and Tsukishima was instantly feeling the entire conversation had changed, something about it went from awkward to almost seductive, and what was that look in Kuroo’s eyes for?

“Oh, well…” Tsukishima didn’t find it very easy to form words right now. Was that supposed to be a compliment? Well, he knew he shouldn’t spend so much time dwelling on it, it was late and he knew he should be heading back to Karasuno’s room soon before Daichi found out. Plus, his mind wasn’t functioning properly right now as is.

“Then I’ll be going then.” He slowly walked past Kuroo, clenching his bag in his hand as he stood in the doorway to the showers. He didn’t know why, but he stopped in his tracks, like part of him was telling him to wait for something, but he didn’t know what. Maybe it was all in his head, but he waited and listened for Kuroo to speak.

“Tsukki, let’s dance together again tomorrow, okay? Oh, and if it makes you feel better, I can show you mine too?”

“What?” Tsukishima turned his head around swiftly, out of all the things he thought Kuroo might say, none of them expected to say that. What was with that smile on Kuroo’s face, and was Tsukishima blushing right now?

“You seemed kind of nervous, so I thought I would-“

“No! I don’t care what you thought, but no!” Tsukishima was stammering, he felt his whole body get flustered as he headed out the door. Was Kuroo always this bold?

As if Tsukishima would actually take him up on an offer like this. Though, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t a little bit interested, no. what was he thinking? He needed to leave now before this turns even more awkward. Yamaguchi may have known the truth, but Tsukishima was certain that whatever feelings he had for Kuroo were one sided and nothing more than a crush that would fade out in a few days.

“I’ll uh… I’ll see you tomorrow.” He said one final goodbye before heading off to bed, and he was certain he would forget all about this in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I've always wanted to kind of write a scene where Kuroo and Tsukki run into each other in the showers while at training camp, I thought it would always be a one shot, but i decided to write it into this story instead, haha. I thought it would be a good idea to break this chapter off with something somewhat funny since it was kind of serious and short. I will also forever love Yamaguchi as a wingman.  
> As always, thank you guys so much for the support on this story. Next chapter we will end off the training camp part of this story, and maybe Tsukki will talk to some other characters at the BBQ.


	5. Goodbyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final day of the training camp, where Tsukishima attends the BBQ, and has a pleasant conversation with Kenma. Later, he learns something surprising from Akaashi about the dance competition.

“It’s way too hot, how are you holding up, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi groaned, slouching himself against the outside of the building, he had an exhausted expression on his face as sweat poured off of his forehead, and Tsukishima found himself slightly thankful that today was the last day.

It had been a draining week, filled with solo and group practices, accompany that with the vague feeling of claustrophobia, and Tsukishima felt like he was at his limit. The heat isn’t what bothered him anymore, it was the people, and he wanted nothing more than that nap right about now.

To sum up everything else that happened to him this week, it was more of the same. Waking up in a crowded, stuffy room with the other members of the Karasuno dance team, barely able to get any sleep at night because of Hinata ad Tanaka’s snoring. During the latter half of the week, he wouldn’t even force himself to change out of his green dinosaur pajamas until after breakfast. Of course, that left him with tones or ridicule from the other members of the team, but he didn’t care, it wasn’t like he was the only one to wear something so childish.

Breakfast every morning was always an entirely different adventure in itself, the food was nothing remarkable, usually eggs and pancakes, half of which he would never eat as the room quickly became filled with the tired faces of everyone around him. He got used to hearing the sounds of yawns every morning as Kuroo and Bokuto would pull him over to sit with them, with Akaashi already sitting down. Somewhere along the way he just sort of found himself expecting it, there wouldn’t be a meal that went by where he didn’t slowly gaze over the make-shift lunch room, wondering if the three of them were already here. Maybe it was just that he knew it was a better option than sitting with the simpletons of Karasuno, or maybe he just wanted to sit with Kuroo, well, there was no other answer, it was that he wanted to sit with Kuroo.

As the week went on, his feelings for him seemed to blossom, with Yamaguchi insisting that he was ‘pining’ over him. Tsukishima dismissed the idea, but even he knew he was starting to grow fond of touching him and sitting with him. Because of how broad Kuroo was, sometimes when they sat next to each other during lunch their legs would touch from under the table, it was the smallest touch, and Tsukishima had to do everything in him to keep him from jumping up and his heart from skipping a beat. He didn’t know how much Kuroo noticed or not, but part of him did always want him to notice and say something, even if it was just a ‘sorry’. It didn’t help that Akaashi always gave him a certain look when that happened, one that was hard to describe, but he was certain Akaashi knew what was going on.

Over lunch they would have small talk, usually Bokuto getting excited over their dance practice that day, saying he was going to teach Tsukishima some new hip hop moves, and then Kuroo would chime in with saying Tsukishima and him needed to practice dancing to some more slow songs. Akaashi would never suggest anything, but he would always say ‘if you dance to some slow music, then let Bokuto and I join you’. In a way, Tsukishima found himself being incredibly polite around the three of them, he didn’t know why, maybe it was because he respected them and knew there was a lot he could learn from them, or maybe it was because he actually liked them. Probably the latter.

On the fourth night here, their practice ran late and the four of them decided it would be a good idea to exchange phone numbers. If they were going to be competing in the couples dance competition, even if it was against each other, it would be a good idea to keep in touch. That night Tsukishima got texts from all three of them, Bokuto would send him the worst puns he could think of when he couldn’t sleep, Akaashi was always comforting, telling him he could always give him any advice, about dancing or ‘ _whatever’_ , the whatever part was what concerned him, but he knew he meant well. And then there was Kuroo.

Kuroo was like a little kid trapped in an eighteen year olds body. He was just as immature as Bokuto was, but then again, so was Tsukishima, he was the one that would laugh at his jokes after all. They texted each other more often than anyone, and Tsukishima was certain he had never texted this much in his entire life. Half of the time they were talking about dance stuff, what type of routine they wanted to do, what genres they felt the most comfortable with, and how many jumps and spins they could do before they felt like they were about to pass out. Tsukishima found it almost heartwarming at times to wake up in the middle of the night and see texts from him.

The other half of the time they talked about nothing important. Kuroo would ask Tsukishima about what he liked and what his family was like back home, he already told him about his love for dinosaurs and about his older brother. Of course, the dinosaurs thing is what prompted the most teasing. Little did he know at the time, Bokuto and Akaashi both shared a love for owls, and once, Bokuto even showed up for breakfast with those owl pajamas he said he loved so much. It was actually kind of funny, and for once Tsukishima felt like he didn’t stick out so much.

Everything else was the same, practice until late night, eat a late dinner, shower, go to sleep, and do it all again the next day. He enjoyed dancing with Kuroo, and somewhere along the way, Tsukishima started to feel confident again.

He wasn’t sure what this feeling was, or rather, he wasn’t sure he wanted to admit what this feeling was. A lot of people, mainly Yamaguchi, would have told him that he was smitten, or had a crush of some sort. He probably could have guessed that since the night the two of them had that talk in the showers, the same night where Tsukishima told Kuroo he would be his partner, and _incidents_ happened.

Sometimes when he would close his eyes at night, he could still feel the look of shame and embarrassment on his face. Of course, it didn’t help that Yamaguchi was still awake when he got back to the room that night, so he was left with no choice but to tell him what happened. He’ll never forget the staggered look on his face when he said that he basically just ‘flashed Kuroo’. His voice was so loud that Yamaguchi almost woke everyone else up, and Tsukishima swore he would never let that happen to himself again. Hopefully Kuroo wasn’t the kind of person to tell anyone.

Other memorable things that happened, one night Bokuto gave him a pep talk, so to speak. He said that there would come a day when Tsukishima finally realized his passion for dancing, a lot like he did, and that would be the moment that he would be hooked on it. He didn’t know what he meant by it or when that moment would be, but when he danced with Kuroo, it felt like something close to passion. Maybe it was all in his head, but it felt like something in him clicked for the first time, and he was sure everyone around him could sense it too.

In a way, he was sad that it was now the final day, all the dancing was done, everyone packed their bags and already loaded them onto the bus, the only thing that was left was the cookout, which was nothing more than a bunch of sweaty teenage boys standing around eating grossly cooked meat for two hours. Seriously, the smell of grease was starting to make him feel sick. How was anyone supposed to expect him to eat any of this? Even eating one burger would have been a miracle for him right now.

Here, he went back in to somewhat of his natural habitat, standing with Yamaguchi in a corner by the wall, Kenma happened to be with them too, sitting down on the ground and still playing his game. He didn’t say anything to him, but he could sense the frustrated look on his face, probably from a boss battle, and something about his dyed hair made him stick out more in the sunlight.

“Beep, beep, beep.” The noise from Kenma’s game filled his head as he answered Yamaguchi’s question.

“The heat doesn’t really bother me anymore.” He shrugged.

Maybe it was because he was so pale, but Tsukishima learned to deal with the heat a long time ago, he would sweat, but he wouldn’t find anything under a hundred degrees unmanageable anymore. If anything, he just felt tired, and who wouldn’t after having to wake up at six in the morning every day?

His eyes wandered as Yamaguchi just gave him a nod, he could probably sense that he was too tired to talk right now, but Yamaguchi never did seem to mind when he was in this kind of mood. Tsukishima thought that he was probably scanning the environment around him for Kuroo. Ever since he had that confession to him on the second night, Yamaguchi was determined to give Tsukishima and Kuroo as much alone time as possible. It was slightly annoying, but Tsukishima was in no position to stop him, it probably wouldn’t have worked even if he tried. But speaking of Kuroo, where was he?

He immediately picked up on the ever so loud Hinata, who was standing by one of the meat surrounded grills, talking with Bokuto. Apparently, those two had a similar hyperactive personality and got along well, so well in fact, that Tsukishima swore he could hear their yelling from all the way on the other side of the area. Of course, Akaashi was right beside Bokuto, with that same unaffected look he always had on his face, in a way, Tsukishima kind of felt bad for him. He really deserved some kind of award for being able to put up with people like that. At the very least, Tsukishima knew that he couldn’t do it.

The rest of the members seemed to fill out the area, each of them having their own cliques. The captains and vice captains (outside of Bokuto and Akaashi) all stood by the entrance of the school. While a lot of the hyperactive members, like Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Yamamoto, stood underneath a nearby tree. Tsukishima could easily see one of them complaining about their food being too hot because they burnt their tongue without blowing on it first.

He could also pick up on a few other conversations around the area, Lev was talking about how he was going to be the star next year, Asahi voiced his concern about how he got a lot of strange looks when he went to the convenience store yesterday, and Kuroo was talking about a cat as he piled way too much food on a plate. A lightbulb went off in Tsukishima’s head, as he thought ‘so that’s where he was’.

Thinking about it, he did learn a thing or two about Kuroo from those late-night text conversations too. He was an only child who happened to catch the Olympics one year on TV, he wanted to try out gymnastics and fell in love with dance later. He was also a huge science nerd and wanted to major in biology when he got to university, and don’t even get him started on the puns.

“Tsukki, I’m going to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” Yamaguchi spoke up, standing up off the ground with a smile on his face.

“Okay, Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima nodded and took a sip out of the glass of water that was in his head, he didn’t even notice until he looked up that there was a familiar bedhead walking his way, with three platefuls of food.

Tsukishima wasn’t sure what he found more alarming, how Yamaguchi had such impeccable timing, or how Kuroo had that much food, like he was balancing them all on his arms evenly. Wait, did Yamaguchi leave on purpose?

“Tsukki!” Kuroo almost yelled in that same cheerful tone, it was the same way he spoke when they ate the rest of their meals together this week, and something about him seemed caring, yet pushy. “You need to eat more.”

“Uh… I already ate enough, though.” Tsukishima felt flustered but didn’t want to immediately push Kuroo away.

He had kept up with this same ‘caring’ attitude all week, getting Tsukishima food and gradually getting him to eat some of it. It started out as nothing more than just an extra donut or beagle during breakfast, but then moved up as the week went on, to the point where yesterday Kuroo managed to get him to force down an entire extra burger for dinner. He figured the only reason he was doing it was to get Kuroo to stop doing this for him, but Tsukishima even noticed it himself that there came a point when he willingly put less food on his plate, just so Kuroo could get him more. He knew he was doing it subconsciously, but even he knew he shouldn’t be doing something like this. It was way too dangerous considering the two of them were still nothing but dance partners.

“Huh? But I saw you, you didn’t eat much last night or this morning, you need to eat more.” Kuroo pried, almost like he was insisting, as he shoved one of the plates closer towards Tsukishima.

It was hard to tell if Kuroo was being truthful right now or just using it as an excuse. How could he forget so easily that he forced him to eat down a burger and a half last night? Well, it didn’t matter that much, Tsukishima may have been able to force himself to retort, and he may have almost taken it if they hadn’t been interrupted.

“That’s creepy.” It was just a small, off comment from Kenma, almost like he was talking to himself, but it managed to get both Kuroo and Tsukishima to look at him. He still hadn’t taken his eyes away from his game and Tsukishima found himself becoming curious with what he meant, almost.

“What do you mean creepy?” Kuroo had a slight sullen tone in his voice, and Tsukishima was having a hard time deciding if he was actually mad or just faking.

Kuroo and Kenma were childhood friends, so he couldn’t picture either one of them being mad at the other without good reason. Plus, Kenma didn’t seem like the type of person who could be mad at anyone, period. The guy probably had to have a pretty high patience meter if he was friends with Hinata, after all. And something about him just didn’t seem to care, he looked like he was pretty lax, a lot like Akaashi, and even Tsukishima.

“You need to eat more too, Kenma. Dammit, you and Tsukki are going to wither away to skin and bones at this rate.”

“I really don’t think we are.” Tsukishima chimed in, there was that same caring attitude from Kuroo again, and for the first time, Kenma looked up from his game and the two of them shared a look.

It was almost like the two of them had something in common now, and his cat-like eyes looked like he was saying ‘I’m sorry you have to put up with this too’. All Tsukishima could do in response was give him a subtle nod. The two of them had never really spoken before, but he was getting the feeling that he would be seeing a lot more of him in the near future. In his mind, Tsukishima could already picture Kuroo inviting Kenma to their future dance practices. He knew Kenma was observant, so he figured he could probably give good advice too, a lot like Akaashi.

“Actually Kuroo, I’m a little hungry, could you get me some rice balls?” Kenma spoke up again, voice as quiet and as calm as every other time Tsukishima heard him speak, which wasn’t that often, but for a second he questioned what his intentions were. No doubt his puzzled thoughts were showing on his face.

“You got it.” Somehow with a free hand, Kuroo managed to give Kenma a thumbs up before he dashed off back towards the direction of the food, still with those plates in hand. He moved so fast that you would have thought the sport he was in was running and not dancing.

“That should distract him for a few minutes.” Kenma went back to playing his game, and Tsukishima noted that Yamaguchi still wasn’t back from the bathrooms yet, and decided to slouch down next to Kenma.

“You did that on purpose?” Tsukishima questioned him, he didn’t know what Kenma’s intentions were, but if he wanted to talk, Tsukishima decided he was willing to listen. Plus, nobody else here knew Kuroo better than Kenma did, he may get some insightful information about him.

“Mhm.” Kenma hummed, his fingers still aggressively going away at the buttons on his game. “You’re the one that likes Kuro, right?”

“What?” Tsukishima gasped, he was almost taken by surprise with the nickname, but he didn’t have time to think about it too much. Yamaguchi was the first one to call him ‘Tsukki’ after all, it only made sense that Kenma had a nickname for Kuroo too.

“It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone, you were just acting pretty different around him, so I wondered. A lot of people get crushes on Kuro, you know?”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, I think half the girls in the school like him, though that doesn’t mean a thing to him. He’s pretty oblivious to that sort of thing. But he doesn’t swing that way, so that’s why he hasn’t picked up on it yet. On the girls, I mean. Though, it’s been awhile since he’s had a boyfriend either.”

“What are you implying?” Tsukishima asked him with the bluntest face that he could muster, it almost felt like there was a lot of information for him to take in.

Well, it came as no surprise that Kuroo was the type of person who a lot of people liked. He had thought about it before, he’s attractive, moderately smart, comes from a good family, and likes to take care of people. He’s probably good at romance and sexual stuff too. It would probably be more of a surprise if girls didn’t like him. But the thing that caught him the most off guard was the last part, ‘he doesn’t swing that way’. It was pretty obvious what Kenma meant by that, that Kuroo had no interest in women, but what was he saying it for? What is his way of telling him he should make a move on Kuroo? Or was this all just basic conversation? He didn’t seem like the kind of person who would give out this kind of information randomly, there had to be a reason behind it.

Kenma was one of those people that came across as pretty hard to read. You could spend awhile observing him, think he was going to say something or do one thing, and then he would do the opposite. He heard before Kuroo call Kenma the brain, saying that he was the one who making the suggestions of new ways to do dance moves. You wouldn’t think something like that from just looking at him, but Tsukishima was starting to see it.

“What am I implying?” Kenma repeated the question that Tsukishima asked him, it was like he was thinking. “I’m not really sure. Something about Kuroo just looks like he’s having fun when he dances with you. I don’t see that when he dances with anyone else on our team. He always teases me about looking more alive when I practice with Hinata, so I think he kind of looks the same way with you. Oh, I should go, Hinata wanted to practice something before he left.”

Tsukishima could feel his eyes widened, he wanted to ask Kenma so many things right now but he knew he would get nothing out of him. It was a thought that he would probably spend the next several hours dwelling on, and he found now that he felt more confused than ever. It was almost like a chill ran down his spine when he said that, and Tsukishima didn’t know what to think anymore.

“Well, I’ll talk to you later, Tsukishima.” Kenma stood up, putting the game in the pocket of his red ‘NEKOMA’ jacket. “Oh, and when Kuro comes back, you can have the rice balls.”

Tsukishima watched as Kenma faded around the corner of the building, presumably where Hinata was, and his eyes immediately started scanning the environment, looking for that familiar bedhead. It didn’t take him long before he realized he was heading in his direction.

Saying that Tsukishima tried not to think about it was a bit of a lie. He instantly played all of the possibilities in his head, he knew that Kenma knew that he liked Kuroo, and he seemed like the kind of person who wouldn’t blab out things randomly like Hinata, but that still didn’t mean Tsukishima didn’t doubt him. Most people don’t say things like that unless they have some kind of ulterior motive. Was he truly implying something or was he just saying nonsense? He knew he would be seeing him again, but a part of his mind still couldn’t let it go. Maybe if it had been any other person he would have, but Kenma meant something, he was sure of it.

“Tsukki, I’m back and I brought the- where’s Kenma?” Kuroo finally appeared back in front of Tsukishima, this time just carrying a plate of rice balls. There had to be at least ten of them on the plate, and he swore he could feel what little he ate for lunch venturing its way up his stomach as he looked at them. There was no way Kuroo could expect one person to eat all those, especially considering both Tsukishima and Kenma have such small stomachs.

“Oh, he left. He said Hinata wanted to practice something before we all departed.” Tsukishima almost forgot what it actually was that Kenma left for, and his mind struggled to replay the previous conversation as Kuroo sat down next to him, closer than ever.

“Oh really? That’s unlike him, but I guess we’ll just have to eat these rice balls together now.” Kuroo laughed and instantly scooped one of them up in his mouth. “I never thought there would come a day when Kenma actually wanted to willingly practice with someone, but I guess we all have that one person we can change for.” Kuroo chuckled, and Tsukishima watched as he handed him a rice ball off the plate.

In his mind, he was thinking how slightly ironic it was for Kuroo to be the one to say something like that, but he knew that if he said something it would just be met with laughter. Apparently, both of them could actually be sentimental when they wanted to be. If he truly was feeling sentimental right now, Tsukishima would have said he understood how Kenma must feel and that there was someone that he wanted to change for too. Of course, even if he was in that sort of mood, there was no way he would let Kuroo know such a thing.

“You’re oddly sentimental today, Kuroo.” Tsukishima still couldn’t stop the words from coming out of his mouth. It was almost gross at how sincere he sounded right now, but given that it was the last day of this summer training camp, it seemed to fit the mood.

Most of these people wouldn’t be seeing each other for another year, and the third years might not be seeing any of these people again. In a way, Tsukishima could empathize with that. Even he, who normally didn’t socialize, found himself that he would be missing Bokuto, Akaashi, and of course, Kuroo if he knew he wouldn’t be seeing them again. Hell, he knew that he was going to be seeing at least Kuroo next weekend, and even that felt like it was too long.

“You think so?” He paused to think as he shoved another rice ball in his mouth, and at this rate Tsukishima found himself wishing that Bokuto would come up and eat the whole plate up, so he wouldn’t have to. He had only had one but he already felt his stomach starting to get full.

“Well…” Kuroo spoke again, that same sincere tone in his voice. “That’s only because I’ve spent the past several days watching you grow, Tsukki.” Kuroo laughed, rubbing Tsukishima on the head as he struggled to push him away, his glasses fell all crooked and he was forced to take them off to adjust them, and there was now a smudge of them, obstructing his view.

“Must you be so difficult?” Tsukishima whined as he pushed Kuroo away, though he truly was just trying to hold back his laughter, because something about Kuroo’s hyena laugh right now was more funny than anything else.

“Oh, relax, relax. Hey, you’re coming over this weekend to practice, right?” A happy grin spread on Kuroo’s face, one that almost looked like a Cheshire cat.

“That’s the plan.” Tsukishima shrugged, but deep down he knew he wanted to smile just like Kuroo was right now. He probably could have, but somehow smiling was one of those things that he didn’t do very often, it was just something that didn’t seem to suit him. He was pretty sure nobody outside of Yamaguchi had actually seen him smile in over a year. If anything, it made him think that maybe he should.

The ‘plan’ they talked about was their weekly travel plan. It was summer so school was out for the next month or so, meaning outside of regular dance practice, the two of them could see each other as much as they pleased. For the sake of being fair, they decided that for the rest of the summer that they would alternate between going to Tokyo and going to Miyagi, and they would start with going to Tokyo. Tsukishima was originally the one who suggested it, but Kuroo seemed okay with it. Kuroo also insisted that he would show Tsukishima around, and part of him did feel a little eager to see more than just inside of Kuroo’s school. Though, that still didn’t dispel any kind of nerves he felt inside of him.

“Excellent. I can’t wait to show you around.” Kuroo giggled, and Tsukishima could feel himself reluctantly reaching down to grab another rice ball.

In the moment, he could feel himself get caught off guard by two things. The first, and the more obvious one, being Bokuto. He appeared out of nowhere, like a tall, looming presence that stood over them, somehow menacing. Though, the only threat he was, was a threat to the food. He swooped down, just like an owl, and gobbled up the remaining rice balls on the plate, and Tsukishima found himself feeling half relieved and half disappointed. Of course, the one time that he actually willingly chose to eat the food, that’s when someone takes it away. Figures.

The other, the less obvious reason, was because of the placement of his hands. When Bokuto snatched the plate out from under the two of them, his hand had nowhere to go except fall in place, and as if it was some kind of cruel prank, his hand fell onto Kuroo’s.

He immediately removed his hand the second he realized it, but that still didn’t stop the feeling from lingering. His hands felt warm and instantly grew cold, he thought his fingers would grow numb from letting go, and he swore as he rubbed them that he could still feel the touch of his soft skin. It almost felt disappointing, and Tsukishima knew he needed to get ahold of himself before Kuroo noticed.

“Hey! We were eating that!” Kuroo yelled, turning his body to the side so he could properly scold Bokuto, who by this point had all of the rice balls down in his stomach. If he hadn’t been distracted, Tsukishima would have thought it was impressive that he could eat that many that quickly. Of course, Bokuto would probably be getting a stomach ache in about an hour from now from doing that.

“Hey, first come, first serve. I saw food being unattended, so I took it.” He winked, almost playful, and Tsukishima clicked his tongue in response. Most people might have gotten a little sad or dejected about this happening, but for Tsukishima, there was only one emotion to feel right now, annoyance. It was almost like his own defense mechanism at this point.

Tsukishima stood up, adjusting his glasses and brushing the new found dirt off of him. He guessed by how an almost orange glow seemed to be surrounding them in the sky, and that they would be leaving soon. He knew it wasn’t going to be goodbye to Bokuto, and definitely not Kuroo, but something seemed to somber the mood as he started to walk away.

“Oh, Tsukki!” Bokuto called, instantly getting his attention, he raised his eyebrow at him in response. “I just spoke to Daichi, and Karasuno will be leaving soon. So, come here and give your favorite dance partner a hug.” Bokuto held out his arms, with a huge smile on his face, and Tsukishima was getting ready to ask him if he was serious. Though, his mood did seem to brighten up, but Tsukishima wasn’t really one for hugs, if you could guess.

“Favorite partner?” Kuroo shot up, and him and Bokuto seemed to now be having a fake argument. Tsukishima watched them in amusement, trying to hold back his laughter. “Excuse you, Bo, but have you forgotten who has been teaching Tsukki this past week?”

“So? I helped him too. Tsukki’s my friend now too, you know?” Bokuto stammered, clenching his fists in his hands, and if he didn’t know better, Tsukishima would have thought the two of them were getting ready to fight. Though, he also knew nothing good would come out of the two of them continuing on like this.

“Should I stop them?” He was talking to himself, or he thought he was talking to himself. Tsukishima didn’t realize this at first, but Akaashi was just an earshot away, standing right around the corner of the building, which made sense considering Akaashi and Bokuto were almost always within an arms link of each other.

“I don’t think they’ll stop either way.” Akaashi smirked, walking and standing over next to Tsukishima as the two of them watched the bickering continue. “So, I guess I’ll be seeing you at the competition then. You must have your hands full, dancing with Kuroo for the first time and all.”

“I would say it’s you who has their hands full, Akaashi. Isn’t working with Bokuto a handful?”

“You get used to it.” He laughed, a wholehearted laugh as he stood forward, walking over to where Bokuto was and stopping their arguing in their tracks. It made him seem like he actually cared about Bokuto. “Plus, we’re dating so I find his antics cute.” He kissed Bokuto on the cheek and he beamed up like a little puppy, his face turning red, and Tsukishima swore the image of that would haunt him while he slept. There was something about seeing a big, strong guy like Bokuto make a face like that that didn’t seem natural.

“What was the for, Akaashi?” Unlike when he was arguing with Kuroo, Bokuto now looked eager, and he swore drool was coming off of his chin.

“No reason. Though, you and Kuroo were going to scare away Tsukishima if you kept it up.” Akaashi turned his head to the side, and out of the corner of his eye he realized they were the only ones still standing in the open area behind Nekoma school, and that the rest of Karasuno and even some of Fukurodani were already lining up to get on their respected busses.

“Tsukishima!” He could hear Karasuno’s coach calling from the other side of the school, which left him with no choice but to nod politely to the other three and slowly make his way over there.

All in all, it had been a very memorable trip, a tough one, and he was pretty sure he walked away with more bruises on his legs than he ever had before, but he couldn’t say that he hated it. However, it was sad to think that this time next year all of the third years would be gone. When he thought about it, it was hard to imagine doing all of this without Bokuto and Kuroo, sure, he would have Akaashi, and there would be a whole new group of first years, but somehow Tsukishima didn’t like the idea of doing this without Kuroo, it just wouldn’t be the same.

He could hear the sounds of Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi slowly following behind him. Kuroo was complaining how it wasn’t fair Akaashi and Bokuto got to go straight home after this, while him and the rest of Nekoma had to stay behind and clean up, probably until night fall. Tsukishima thought about chiming in about how he too was envious of Bokuto and Akaashi, who didn’t have nearly as long of a trip back home as Karasuno did, but he couldn’t bring himself to. He told himself it was better to not talk during a situation like this.

At the front of the school there were two buses, one much more extravagant than the other. It was white and with two stripes in the Fukurodani school colors lining the sides, and it read ‘FUKURODANI’ in a bold font on the side, by the looks of it, most of the people from their school had already gotten on, leaving just the captain and vice-captain.

Next to it was the unfortunately rented bus of Karasuno, it was black, so they at least got the school colors right, but it was still rented.

As most people expected, since Karasuno was still making its way up the ranks as a powerhouse school once again, they didn’t have nearly as big of a budget anymore, so little a budget that they couldn’t even afford a bus and had to settle for the cheapest one they could find. It wasn’t even a bus, it was a van. It was almost pathetic, and the worst part of it was there weren’t even enough seats for everyone, it was first come, first serve, and the last two people on were stuck riding in the back with the luggage. Not to mention, Tsukishima noted that the only other person outside of Karasuno’s bus right now was Yamaguchi, who was eagerly waiting for him as the coach waved from the driver’s seat. Which of course meant those two were going to end up stuck in the back. Great.

Lastly, outside the front of the school stood an ungodly amount of red, all from the Nekoma members who were already waving at everyone from the front of the school. Even Kenma who seemed unfazed by his game was now waving at Hinata.

“So, this is goodbye, Tsukki.” Bokuto cried out, not giving him a choice this time and pulling him into one of his bone-crushing hugs. He wanted to tell him it probably wouldn’t be that long since they’ll see each other again, with Tsukishima coming to Tokyo quite often and all, but the words just wouldn’t come out (probably because of the hug that was crushing him).

“That reminds me, Tsukishima and Kuroo.” Akaashi spoke calmly as Tsukishima finally pulled his way out of the hug. “Do you two know what the theme for this year’s competition is?”

“I haven’t looked it up yet, I was going to look at their website when I get back home today. I was also going to register me and Tsukki too.” Kuroo scratched the back of his head, and Tsukishima looked at them all with a puzzling look. There were themes for this sort of dance competition? Well, that sort of made sense, it wouldn’t be fair for some people to just be able to dance whatever they wanted.

Akaashi probably picked up on the slightly unsettled look on Tsukishima’s face, turning to him and almost giving him some kind of clarification. “It’s nothing to worry about, Tsukishima. The themes are usually pretty broad, it’s just more for the dancers to know what kind of emotions to show and what to feel while dancing.” It was exactly as he thought, it wasn’t his first time dealing with themes for a dance competition, but this time it still felt a little different than before, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he almost didn’t feel concerned at all about it.

“Do you know what the theme this year is, Akaashi?” Bokuto spoke up, that same excited and eager look on his face.

“Yes, I do.” Akaashi turned to Tsukishima once again. It almost felt like the life had been sucked out of him, and he didn’t register the words he was saying. He was kidding, right? This had to be a joke. But judging from the look on his face, it was anything but, and Tsukishima swore he could feel his palms start to sweat.

“Tsukishima? Did you hear me? The theme is love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we're finally at the last day of the training camp. I didn't want to make this section of the story go on too long, so I felt like this was a good stopping point. I kind of struggled coming up with dialogue for this chapter, but for the most part I'm happy with it. I really like Tsukki talking with Kenma and learning a little bit about Kuroo that way. I also just really want Tsukki and Kenma to be friends, haha.
> 
> Thank you guys so much for the support on this story so far. I'm probably also going to start updating one chapter a week now, but I'm not sure. I've made a lot of progress with this story, both writing wise and coming up with ideas wise, so we'll just see how long it takes me to get a chapter out.
> 
> Next chapter we will finally get to Kuroo and Tsukki working on their routine for their dance, and maybe they'll also start working on outfit ideas.


	6. The First Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima travels to Tokyo to practice with Kuroo for the first time on their routine, where they pick out their outfits, and Kuroo offers him a suggestion to make traveling easier.

“Tsukishima, are you leaving?” Hinata’s loud, boisterous voice was as annoying as ever, giving Tsukishima the usual headache as he tightened the lases on his shoes. He clicked his tongue in response, determined not to have any conversation with him.

Today was the day, or the night he should say. It was the first real weekend of the summer break, and the first weekend of his practices with Kuroo. Saying he was excited for it probably wasn’t the best way to put it, though he wasn’t not excited for it either. It had been all he had thought about for the past week, even getting to the point where he would tell Yamaguchi about it, and don’t even get him started on what he told Kuroo.

The two of them had been texting nonstop since he left last weekend, usually about nothing at all. Kuroo would tell him about how he was going to the convenience store, about how he was working on a new routine and picking out outfits for them to wear already. Tsukishima remembered thinking it was a bit much, they hadn’t even picked out their song yet, but when you consider the second half of the school year was already pretty much here, he realized they didn’t have nearly as long to act.

In his free time between his practice with Karasuno, Tsukishima did some internet searching, looking up the rules and guidelines on the couple’s dance competition website. The website itself was a bit over exaggerated. It was some weird, almost space-like background, it looked like a nebula or something, with white font and pictures of the current champions. He didn’t realize it until now, but most of the people that compete in this sort of thing are guys, it was almost astounding, and a lot of them from elite schools in Tokyo, some of the people even being related.

He looked at it, and last year’s winners were the Miya brothers, Osamu and Atsumu. Twins from Tokyo with a relatively high ambition, it almost pissed Tsukishima off as he looked at the smug faces on them in the winner’s photo.

He looked at the picture of the second and third place winner, Bokuto and Akaashi coming in third and two people he had never seen before coming in second, a Ushijima Wakatoshi and Tendou Satori from Miyagi, and a Daishou Suguru who got an honorable mention for coming in fourth. It surprised him to see someone from the same town as he lived in competing in something like this, but what surprised him even more was the article.

It wasn’t anything special, the reporter from a high profile dance magazine only seemed to care about the winners, completely ignoring Bokuto, Akaashi, and all the others. It almost pissed him off about how no matter how good you are, people only care about you if you win. That’s how things had always been in every sport, and Tsukishima felt like he knew that more than anyone. But as he began looking through it he noticed how off their comments seemed to be.

_“We didn’t expect much out of anyone from the Miyagi prefecture. Until recently, most of the people from there couldn’t even dance, so we weren’t worried about our competition. Right, 'samu?”_

_“Yeah.”_

The whole article was pretty much a slap in the face to anyone who was a ‘country bumpkin’ as they called it, and Tsukishima found himself get annoyed with their attitude. They were overly optimistic and condescending, two emotions that Tsukishima despised.

It was only words and not their actual voices, but the one thing Tsukishima hated more than anything were people who seemed entitled to something. That was one of the reasons why he didn’t get along so well with Kageyama at first, he acted like a king who just expected everyone to work with his superior skills, but he never once cared about other people being able to keep up with him. These people were just like that. Entitled and think their superior because their twin brothers who have never lost before. It was almost sickening as Tsukishima forced himself to close out of the website, he ended up forgetting what it was that he even looked at the website for in the first place.

He never really had much of a desire or a drive to try or beat anyone when it came to dance competitions, but something in him wanted to try now, he wanted to beat them, and he wanted to wipe that smug smirk off their faces. It may have not sounded like him, but there was a certain pride you could get when it came to defeating people like them, almost like a satisfaction to see how surprised they would be.

He was going to train with Kuroo, and they were going to win.

“Oh, didn’t you hear, Hinata? Tsukki is going to be doing some one on one practices with Kuroo. The two of them are going to enter a dance competition together.” Yamaguchi, being one of the few people Tsukishima actually talked to outside of practice, spoke up, and for a moment he was thankful that he didn’t have to explain something to Hinata for the thousandth time. He swore he was so spacey that he should actually be in space.

“Wow! So cool! I wish I could practice with Kenma!” Hinata whined, and Tsukishima could already feel his head starting to ache again. Whenever he yelled he swore his voice got three times louder, and right now he was tempted to say something to him to get him to shut up.

“Are you going to be okay with that? Isn’t working on another routine when we’ve barely memorized the one that we’re supposed to be doing with Karasuno too much?” As if he was here to suck what little fun still remained in the room out of everyone, Kageyama had to join in on the conversation.

Even despite how Tsukishima told himself that he could tolerate him, him and Kageyama would still butt heads from time to time, and this was definitely one of those times. Ever since he got back from the training camp, Kageyama seemingly got more serious about dancing and beating Oikawa, that was all he talked about, and if someone even got one dance step wrong, he would chastise them. Of course, Suga and Daichi got him in line whenever he did that, but that still didn’t stop the mood from souring. He was slowly reverting back to being ‘The King’, and on days like today it was particularly terrible.

Tsukishima hadn’t even got any farther with Kuroo other than him sending him videos of certain moves he wanted to try, and some songs he might be interested in using. As far as Tsukishima was concerned he didn’t expect much out of their dance, considering how much little time they had. Kuroo mentioned it vaguely, but he remembered him saying they had some preliminary dance stuff they had to go to for them to be in the competition, he assumed by that point they would just need to have a vague idea of what their dance would be and what their outfits were. He didn’t actually think about it until now about how much they still had to do. They were at such a disadvantage, and Kageyama nagging him didn’t help him one bit. If he had been in a slightly worse mood he may have actually told him to shut up right now. But no, he needed to stay in a good mood, he had a train to catch in less than two hours, all he had to do was tune everything else out until he got there.

“I’ll be fine.” Tsukishima stood off the ground, towering over the group of other first years and walking past them, his bag in tow. “Unlike some of the other people here, I can actually do two things at once.”

“Can you? I trust you won’t be skipping out on practices just to deal with the cat.”

“And why would I? We have both Daichi and Suga’s permission, and we’ve already worked out a schedule that fits for our travelling. I don’t need you barking orders at me, King.” Tsukishima had that same disinterested tone in his voice as he walked past them, he didn’t want to continue this conversation, and he didn’t care how mad Kageyama sounded. That attitude of his was something he just couldn’t deal with today.

“Fine, but I don’t want you splitting up your time between us and Nekoma bringing this team down.”

“And I assure you it won’t. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a train to catch. Now, goodbye, King.” With that, Tsukishima easily slipped on those same white headphones and made his way for the door.

The thing about Tsukishima and Kageyama were that they could probably argue all day if someone would leave them alone long enough. Saying they hated each other wasn’t the right word, but they both knew how to get under the other person’s skin. Kageyama knew by this point how Tsukishima hated when people brought it up that ‘he was the one who was bringing the team down’, he wasn’t, but in Kageyama’s eyes, everyone who wasn’t keeping up with them or putting forth one hundred percent effort to help the team was deadweight.

Tsukishima on the other hand always had a hard time dealing with people, but Kageyama had a certain way of pushing his buttons, he didn’t get along with him at all, but he especially knew what to say when he irked him.

Everyone had a certain word or phrase that got on their nerves more than anything else. When you said it, it would instantly piss them off or get them to leave. It was different for every person, some people like Nishinoya hated being called short, Tsukishima hated being reminded of how inferior he was, while Kageyama hated when people used his old nickname from middle school, ‘King’. It was the only sure thing to shut him up, and Tsukishima made sure to use it only in situations like this. He knew it would only be a matter of time before Daichi and Suga intervened, siding with Kageyama, but by then Tsukishima would have already left, off to go be with Kuroo and work on their dance.

On the subject of learning multiple dances at once, it was something that Tsukishima knew he would have to deal with eventually. When he was in middle school and younger, the dance teams he was a part of all the time would require him to learn multiple dances, it wasn’t that difficult. As long as you memorized the songs beforehand, it was fine.

It had only been a week and they had only done a couple basic steps as they figured out who would do what in the new dance they were working on. While him and Kuroo hadn’t even started working on their number yet. He didn’t care what Kageyama thought, but it really wasn’t any of his concern about Tsukishima’s personal life. And the whole thought of Kageyama intervening with him pissed him off. Ugh, just thinking about it made him want to scowl.

He turned around, reaching his hand into his pocket as he saw the faces of Hinata, Yamaguchi, and Kageyama looking back at him through the open doorway of the gym, all with different expressions on their face, of course, while everyone still remained in the practice building, probably getting ready to work more on the routine. Tsukishima did feel a little bad for leaving like this, since he did decide to get an hour of practice with Karasuno in before he left, but he considered his practice with Kuroo more important right now.

Kageyama had a stern glare about him, like he couldn’t fathom why someone would skip out on extra dance practice just to do something like this, but, as maybe one day he would learn, he had his reasons.

Those reasons being some that even Tsukishima couldn’t justify. He told Kuroo he would do this and he would, and even he knew there was more it to than that. But more than anything he wanted to verify this feeling in him, he wanted to see if this weird passion he had in him for dance stayed even outside of training camp, and maybe he could find out if he truly liked Kuroo, because despite what Yamaguchi said, he was still in denial.

 _“Hello.”_ Without even thinking he dialed the other number on the end of the line, it happened to be the most frequented number he had been calling and texting recently, and an almost enthusiastic voice greeted him. It was Kuroo.

“It’s Tsukishima, I’m getting ready to head over.”

 

 

 

“Tsukki, you’re finally here, is this place okay?” Kuroo, sounding almost a little too considerate as he slammed the door open to an unfamiliar room in an unfamiliar building.

Due to timing issues, or more so, due to Kuroo having to work over at his part time job, he couldn’t meet Tsukishima at the station, so he told him the address of where they would be practicing today, and Tsukishima just plugged it into his phone on a navigation app. He found it strange that they weren’t practicing in one of the Nekoma gym rooms, but the privacy was a much needed thing. Something about dancing in a private studio sounded much more reassuring than being somewhere where random people could just walk in and see them at any time.

The ‘studio’ in question was one that Tsukishima had never heard of before, it read ‘Kozume Ballet’, immediately that sent off a red flag in his head, he recognized that as Kenma, Kuroo’s childhood best friend and another member of the Nekoma teams, last name. Thinking back on his appearance, he did seem like the kind of guy who would be good at ballet, but why were they here? Was it for a private lesson or something, or was there another reason?

The questionable name aside, it did look nice though. There was a proper front desk when you walk in and two hallways leading to multiple rooms, even some stairs leading to another floor. Tsukishima had to tell the lady he was here to see someone named Kuroo and she directed him to this room, where he was waiting. He shut the door behind him and was met with something that looked just like every other dance room he had been in before.

For some reason, it had the same white and red interior that Nekoma school had, complete with a ‘Go Cats!’ sign hanging on one of the walls. There was a normal mirror on the front wall, leading all the way around to the sides, with a ballet barre in front of that, and of course, another stripper pole. Kuroo already hanging off of it like it was some jungle gym, and Tsukishima was forced almost to sigh at his immaturity. Though, if Tsukishima had arrived here before Kuroo, he may have tried to hang off of that pole again, trying to test to see if his upper body strength and flexibility had improved.

He looked up some videos and blogs online about how to get better upper body strength, and he thought there was a chance he would be able to do something like that today. Of course, he wasn’t going to give Kuroo the satisfaction of watching him fail, so he would scratch that idea for the day, they had many other important things to discuss already as it was, and Tsukishima still had many questions. He shouldn’t waste his time trying to hang from a pole, especially considering how flustered it was probably going to make him in the end.

“What is this place, Kuroo?” Tsukishima sat his bag down in the corner, right next to Kuroo’s bright red bag as he kicked off his shoes.

Fortunately by this point, Tsukishima had bought some normal athletic gear and some leggings so him and Kuroo could practice in the same attire. There was something that just made it difficult for you and your partner to move in sync together when you both were wearing different types of clothes, and Tsukishima had more than learnt that at the training camp. It was basic black, just like the Karasuno leotard, but it seemed to fit him nicely as he walked over to Kuroo.

“One of Kenma’s relatives used to be a ballerina, after she retired she opened up this dance studio to teach young kids. Me and Kenma used to practice here all the time when we were younger, so I thought it would be the perfect place to get some privacy. You like it, Tsukki?” Kuroo waved his hands in the air, walking past him so nonchalantly, and Tsukishima watched as he reached into his bag and pulled out a magazine.

“It’s fine, I guess. I wasn’t expecting you to know of a place like this where we could practice.”

“I’m full of so many surprises, Tsukki.” Kuroo smirked, walking closer to him, still with the magazine in his hand. “Oh, and I’m happy to see you.” He beamed, his face a subtle shade of red that Tsukishima managed to pick up on, he didn’t notice until now just how close he was.

It was a similar position that they had been in before, the two of them only inches apart, and Tsukishima slouching almost making him appear shorter. Kuroo’s face was right on top of his, and he had a hard time telling if he was trying to provoke him or if his words were actually sincere. Either way, it was making it very hard for Tsukishima to keep a straight face as he looked at him.

“Please don’t say something like that with that kind of face, it’s hard to tell what you mean.” Tsukishima almost scowled, forcing himself to turn his head to the side. It was the way that Kuroo was smiling that made it the most difficult. The corners of his lips ever so slightly turned up, almost like he was pleased, and Tsukishima could almost feel his whole body lean forward and move to kiss him. This was a terrible idea.

“What do you mean, Tsukki? I’m always this straight forward.” There he goes again sounding so serious.

Though Tsukishima always did like straight forward people, he liked how those types of people never played games with their emotions, and how they always told you what they meant, but he was certain Kuroo had to be joking, it was impossible to take him seriously when he said something like that, and that almost angelic look on his face didn’t help at all.

Tsukishima knew within him that he needed to change the subject before his emotions got the better of him. This wasn’t like him, and he was fearing more and more that he might do something soon he may regret. And what was this feeling swelling up in the pit of his stomach. Was it nausea? No, he had been sick enough times in his life to know that feeling all too well, this was something different, and for some reason it scared him at how unfamiliar it was.

“Whatever.” Tsukishima resorted to his ultimate defense mechanism, which was sarcasm and disinterested comments.

He didn’t want Kuroo to think he was rude, but he wanted to stop leading him down the path of making jokes, mainly because he knew how funny and tempting laughing at those jokes would be. He really couldn’t handle Kuroo when he got like this. He had only been here for five minutes and already was feeling his head starting to spin. Ugh.

“Listen, aren’t there some things we need to do, before the first preliminary event, I mean?” Tsukishima asked the first actual question on his mind.

In all of the research he did online, he knew this was the kind of competition where people didn’t mess around, the winners took it seriously, and even the losers took it seriously. They were already unprepared and at a disadvantage, his serious side may be showing a bit here, but since they couldn’t meet nearly as often as other people could, they should spend every second practicing, or, at least going over the dance together.

Despite how serious and unlike him it sounded, a part of Tsukishima was determined not to lose against those Miya twins he read so much about online. Seriously, it was like they had their own fan club. How much of an ego could two high school boys have? They sounded worse than Kageyama, though comparing them to Oikawa, a flashy dancer from the Aoba Josei team known for his looks and having a terrible personality, might have been a better comparison.

“Well, yeah.” Kuroo said it with a discernible tone in his voice, one that told Tsukishima he was treading lightly for some reason, but he didn’t really have time to question it. It was already getting late as is, and he planned on going home on the last train here today. He was starting to realize just how much it sucked to have to travel like this.

“Okay.” Kuroo seemed to snap up, probably noticing the serious look in Tsukishima’s eyes as he began flipping open the magazine. “All we really need for the first preliminary is our outfits and what song we’re doing. Since it’ll be both of our first times there we’ll be at a disadvantage against people like Bo and Akaashi. We’ll just have to learn a short couples dance with another group of people to make sure we don’t suck. It’ll be no big deal though. I’m confident in our abilities. Oh, and it’s in two weeks.”

“Two weeks?” Tsukishima shot up, almost yelling, and Kuroo looked at him as if he expected that reaction out of him.

“Calm down, calm down. It’s not as big of a deal as that. I already made up a list of songs and a playlist you can choose from, since it’s your first time, I think you should choose the song, try to pick something that speaks to you and that you’re comfortable with. The rules on the website say you can do any genre, so I put a variety of pop, classical, slow balled, even some hip hop and rock songs on there you can choose from. I’ve been choreographing a lot of Nekoma’s stuff since my second year, so all those songs I feel like I can do something good for, you’ll of course have to be okay with everything, though.” Kuroo smiled and handed him a small flash drive as he shoved it in his bag, he instantly knew he would be listening to this on his way home today.

It was a lot of information to take in, and it was also hard to imagine Kuroo being the type of person who willingly did research for things like this, but his was a third year, after all, maybe he was actually really diligent when it came to looking things up. Tsukishima couldn’t complain, and he found it almost comforting to know that Kuroo was taking this seriously. He always pictures Kuroo as the type of person who was cracking jokes and making perverted comments the whole time, so this was almost alarming to see him be serious. Though, it was like one less weight was on his shoulder now, but a new one arrived. He sort of had this thought in the back of his head but never worried about it until now, it was Kuroo’s last year.

He thought about this at the training camp, but this would be Kuroo’s last chance to compete in something like this, after this he would go off to college and probably start a career and find some new hobbies. Tsukishima only really considered himself to be doing this because Kuroo ignited in him a love for dance he had never felt before, and he wanted to prove to himself and to other people that the two of them were capable of doing something like this, but now there was a new reason why. He wanted to make this year memorable for Kuroo.

There was no doubt that with Nekoma’s skills they would be going to nationals again at the end of this year, but there was more to it now than that. Going to nationals would be something especially for the third years. Back at Karasuno, he even hard Daichi, Suga, and Asahi talking about it. It was something that they wanted to do to make this last year special to them, something that they really strived for, and Tsukishima could actually relate to that feeling right now. However, going to this competition was something special for Kuroo. He said it before how this was something he wanted to do but couldn’t previously, and now that he was in his final semester of his final year of high school, he could. Tsukishima gave him that chance to, and he wanted to make this year special for Kuroo, even if that meant he would never tell him about his little crush on him. It wasn’t about him, it was about them.

This felt incredibly mushy for Tsukishima, he never really danced before for any other reason other than he was good at it, but now he had a reason, even if it was a cliché reason, he would be dancing for Kuroo. He had a spark in him, and maybe the love theme was getting to him, but he had a passion in him now, and he wanted to do everything he could to make it grow.

“Okay.” Tsukishima was excellent at having a lot on his mind but not letting that show on his face.

His mind right now was filled with so many thoughts, but his expression was just as stern as before. He could already hear the little voice in his head telling him that one thing Kuroo and him were going to have to work on was for him to emote more, the theme was love but if Tsukishima couldn’t express that on his face, they weren’t going to get anywhere while doing this. Although they would have to work on that gradually, they had another problem they needed to deal with first, the outfits.

Needless to say, there was no way the two of them could get stuck with just wearing their Nekoma and Karasuno dance uniforms. Tsukishima hadn’t even seen the Nekoma ones, but he was certain that the colors would totally clash. The only time black and red even look remotely good together is when they’re doing a vampire theme, and there were very few exceptions to that rule. Plus, there was a part of him that always found the Karasuno uniforms ugly.

They were these big, bulky black things with way too much glitter. He understood they were trying to resemble crows and all, but sometimes wearing what they used to wear many years ago wasn’t a good idea. And who even thought black glitter was a good idea? Tsukishima was still finding those sparkles in his hair when he showered, there was no way he was getting stuck with something like that. They were getting new outfits, and Tsukishima would even pay for them himself if he needed to.

“And what about the outfits?” Tsukishima spoke softly, knowing that magazine Kuroo had been carrying around in his hand for the past several minutes had to be for something related to that.

He noticed that it was a top of the line costume magazine for national championships, and that Kuroo had several pages already tabbed as he held it up. Was it even possible to order outfits like these in two weeks and get them in on time? Most of these things were hand sewn after all, and Tsukishima found it hard to believe that they would just have some decent costumes lying around. Were they already screwed?

“Not to worry.” Kuroo smiled, almost like he had some sort of plan. “You remember Yamamoto from Nekoma? His mom is a seamstress, she actually makes all of the Nekoma outfits. She can sew anything as long as you bring in a picture. So, I was thinking we could have her replicate something from in here. I already called her and she said she could do it in time for us, she just needs your measurements, but I already got them, so we’re good.”

“How did you get those?” A baffled expression appeared on Tsukishima’s face as his eyes widened. That wasn’t the kind of thing that could be easily explained, and he wasn’t sure if he should feel impressed or worried.

Well maybe he was impressed, though he wasn’t showing it. Kuroo definitely deserved more credit than he was giving him, it was almost amazing to think about how he thought about something this far in advance. Maybe Kuroo was more cunning than he originally thought he was. Of course, something about that still made it scary, and Tsukishima found himself feeling slightly alarmed by that grin on his face.

“I called Daichi and he told me them, he’s surprisingly gullible, you know? I probably could have asked him any kind of information about you, and he would have given it out. Ha!” Kuroo laughed and Tsukishima felt another chill run down his spine, and he gave him a look of annoyance, telling him he didn’t find his joke funny as he waited for him to continue. Did he have to make everything sound so perverted?

“Okay, anyway.” Kuroo quickly made the smart decision to change the subject. “So, we should look through here until we find something we agree on. I was thinkin’ something not too flashy, but still captures the essence of love. Of course, we may want to decide on a song first, it’s up to you.” Kuroo shrugged, and Tsukishima didn’t exactly feel comfortable having all the power in his hands like this.

When it came to Karasuno, all the songs were voted upon equally, with Daichi and Suga being the tie breakers. It almost felt strange for the tables to be turned on him and for Tsukishima to have more power than anybody else. He didn’t really like all the pressure being on him. If he chose the wrong song, or if Kuroo had a hard time doing dance moves for that song, it would all be on him, and he didn’t like that. Which is why he opted to work on the outfits first, it was easier, and most outfits wouldn’t hinder them like a song would. Plus, Tsukishima might be able to help him choose a song easier if he knew what the outfits were going to look like. This was all such a big decision, it was almost overwhelming, and Tsukishima didn’t quite know how well the look on his face was expressing that. He really wasn’t good at showing emotions.

“Well, did you already have something in mind?” Tsukishima asked the obvious question as he walked over to look at the magazine.

There was a certain look on Kuroo’s face that made him look like he was fidgeting, like he was nervous about something. Instantly that sent off red flags in Tsukishima’s mind, but maybe he was just worried his idea would be rejected. He clearly thought this out, and he clearly wanted Tsukishima to like his plan, so maybe it was nothing at all.

“Well, there is _something_ that caught my eye.” Kuroo instantly flipped open a page that he had marked. He immediately noticed that something felt off with Kuroo’s voice, almost like he was making some perverted pass at him, as Tsukishima’s eyes hesitantly focused in on the page and the outfit that Kuroo was suggesting.

“Nope! Hell no! Not happening!” Tsukishima snatched the magazine from his hand, turning the page, and forcing himself to never lay eyes again on that ungodly sight. What was Kuroo thinking?

“Oh, come on, Tsukki. That sort of thing is a little risqué, but I think we could totally make it work. Especially with your long legs, we can really show the other competitors that we’re not messing around.”

“I am not wearing something that looks like lingerie. Have you forgotten that I’m a boy?”

“I haven’t forgotten, Tsukki.” Kuroo winked and Tsukishima forced himself to turn around.

There were a lot of things he wanted to say right now. First off, the ‘outfit’ in question probably wasn’t even legal for these sorts of things. It was this short, black outfit with sparkles, with white stripes running over the chest area. It would have been something Tsukishima turned down no matter what, but the thing that put it over the top was the arms and legs, or lack there of arms and legs.

The whole things was pretty much see-through with fishnets lining the arms and frilly black lace lining the legs. There was also some open space on the stomach, showing off the belly button, and he was certain the thing wouldn’t eve cover his butt. There was no way he was wearing something like that. whoever designed that thing clearly didn’t deign it for purposes such as a dancing competition between high schoolers. That idea was out.

The other thing Tsukishima was drawn to was the way Kuroo brought it up. The thought briefly slipped his mind until now, but he still felt something for Kuroo, and he would be lying if he said his face wasn’t red right now from just imagining wearing something like that for him. He didn’t know if Kuroo felt anything for him, but if he did, would he want him to wear something like that? He made a comment before about how long Tsukishima’s legs were, so would he like to see him in that? And more importantly, would Tsukishima like to see Kuroo wearing something like that too? No, this was a terrible line of thought. What was with him today? He needed to focus.

He turned back around, forcing the redness to go out of his face. Part of him felt like asking Kuroo what he thought about it, in the romantic sense, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was probably not the type of flirt who would do it with just about anyone, so Tsukishima would force himself to go back to what they were doing.

“I’ll find us something.” He stammered, still a nervous tone in his voice as he began flipping through the pages. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Kuroo staring at him, with somewhat of an amused smirk on his face. Which somehow didn’t help the situation at all, but he would just let him keep doing it, trying his best to ignore him. He knew that if he made eye contact with him, there was a chance this would all be over.

He began calmly flipping through the pages of the magazine, starting his way in the middle and working his way outward. There had to be no less than five outfits on each page, each outfit in a variety of styles and colors, he was certain it wouldn’t take him long before he found something.

The first thing he saw was something that was in the most horrendous shade of green he had ever seen, it came with bright colored leggings and puffy shorts, it almost looked like a hideous Christmas elf. Next. The one after that was something straight out of a thrift store, the brightest, an ugliest blue tuxedo he had ever seen, and sure, the tuxedo part was a nice, modest touch, but no. Next. After that he found something that was way too exotic for his liking, with way too much glitter, it looked like something from the eighties threw up a rainbow. Next.

“Ooh, what about this one?” Kuroo appeared behind him, looking over his shoulder and pointing to one as soon as Tsukishima turned the page. It almost startled him being so close. “It’s modest and kind of sexy.”

Though the amount of unique outfits for men you could find in this sort of catalog were limited, Kuroo was right, it definitely was different compared to everything he had seen prior.

The outfit itself was nothing out of the ordinary, a modest, normal looking tuxedo design with one of the top buttons undone, it was a dark shade of navy blue to the point where it was bordering on black, hell, he was actually sure the vest part of it was black, with white star buttons to match. The pants that came with it were also black and looked a little tight, he knew it would be something that would draw too much attention to his legs, but he was immediately caught off guard by the sleeves too much to complain. They were truly breathtaking.

The sleeves had an ombrè effect going on, starting with that same shade of navy blue down by the cuffs, to moving up and turning purple, then green, and so on until it got to eh orange up by the shoulders. It was complete with some small stars white sewn into the flowy sleeves, something about it just seemed to scream majestic and magical, and were those multi colored rhinestones? Normally Tsukishima would find something like this to be tacky beyond belief, but here, they almost looked good. It gave the sleeves the effect of almost looking like galaxy, the rhinestones making it look like little stars. Tsukishima wasn’t sure why but he almost felt drawn to it. Maybe Kuroo knew what he was doing when it came to picking out clothes after all.

“It’s not bad, I guess.” Tsukishima shrugged and handed the magazine back over to Kuroo, forcing his voice to still sound so lax.

“Ah, come on, you can just say that you liked it.” Kuroo whined, almost teasing as he held the page open with one hand, placing his other on his hip.

“Okay fine, I liked it.” Tsukishima wasn’t sure what made him feel so submissive right about now, maybe he was just in that good of a mood, but he found himself almost laughing at Kuroo’s terrible attempts to be funny.

“See? Now was that so hard?” Kuroo teased again, laughing, and smiling. It was hard for Tsukishima not to zone in on how pleasant he seemed right now, he was almost cute, and Tsukishima felt like he wanted to reach over and touch him right now.

“Oh shit.” Kuroo spoke again, pulling Tsukishima out of his temporary thoughts. “Look at the time, I didn’t realize it was this late, we spent the whole day talking and looking through a magazine that we didn’t get to dance. Well, you did get here pretty late too.”

Tsukishima didn’t notice it until now, but when he looked out the window he could see that the sun was definitely setting, an orange glow seemed to be splashing up against the back wall of the room, and somehow the temperature felt a lot warmer than it did a few moments ago.

“Ah right, the last train will be leaving soon then.” Tsukishima spoke up, it was like just now realized how much of a hassle it was going to be to travel back and forth here on the weekends. Even with his allowance he had, money wasn’t a problem, it was the awful three-hour ride to get to and from Miyagi to Tokyo. Well, it was summer so maybe they would be able to work something out.

“Hey, Tsukki.” Kuroo seemed to pick up on the slight distress in his voice, and he had a look on his face like he was planning something. “Why don’t you stay over at my place on the weekends? Just during the summer, at least?”

“Huh?” Tsukishima could sense his eyes blink multiple times, a confused look spread on his face. Did he hear him right?

“Both my parents have jobs and travel a lot during the summer, I don’t get to see them much even with my part time job. Kenma lives nearby but he doesn’t go out unless for practices.” There was something in his tone that let Tsukishima know how serious he was, he sounded almost desperate, and he couldn’t decide if he was doing this on purpose or not.

“You’re kidding, right? And doesn’t Nekoma have practice?” Tsukishima couldn’t help but feel skeptical. Even with having a good reason like it would save him money for travel, it still seemed like a terrible idea. His mind couldn’t help but worry about things like ‘what if he talks in his sleep and accidentally says something embarrassing?’, or ‘what if seeing Kuroo asleep is too much for him to take?’. Would he be able to handle it if something like that were to actually happen? No, this was a terrible idea.

“We do but the ones on the weekend aren’t mandatory, and everyone on the team already knows me and you are doing this other competition. Plus, the numbers we’re doing for nationals are ones that we’ve already done in the past, so I know them. And wouldn’t it save you money? It doesn’t have to be every weekend, but we can just try it this one time and if it doesn’t work out we can just meet up like normally. Wouldn’t it be better for us to have more time to practice together like this?”

Despite his best efforts, Kuroo was right. Tsukishima couldn’t think of a single argument against it, other than spending the night with the person you have a crush on being a terrible idea, but he couldn’t let Kuroo know that, and he had an idea that Kuroo would shoot down any other argument he tried to come up with. Though, he was starting to think this may not be a bad idea. A lot like how it took him awhile before he said yes to Kuroo about the dance competition, maybe he should just say yes. They were both men and it wasn’t like Tsukishima was the type to lose control, would this be so bad? Well, it wasn’t like he could insistently say no, so he only really had one choice.

“Okay.” He spoke softly, almost ashamed, like he had been defeated by something. “I didn’t bring anything other than a change of dance clothes, though.”

Kuroo laughed, pleased as he threw his arm around Tsukishima, like he was hugging him from the side. “Not to worry, Tsukki. You can borrow some of mine, but just so you know, I don’t wear pants when I sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Kuroo and Tsukki finally start practicing, even though they didn't really get to much of it in this chapter, but it was still fun to write, and coming up with ideas for their outfit was really fun, I also still really like writing flustered Tsukki, haha.
> 
> Thank you guys so much on the support for this story so far. Next chapter we will get started on Tsukki sleeping over with Kuroo, maybe they'll work on picking out a song, and get all flustered from seeing each other sleeping. It's also probably going to be a shorter chapter, so I'm going to try to get it out a little bit sooner. :)


	7. Sleep Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima sleeps over at Kuroo's house for the night, where he finally picks out a song and hears Kuroo say something surprising in his sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I start this chapter I just want to give a big thank you to [Foxyena](http://www.foxyenaarts.tumblr.com/) for making [This](http://foxyenaarts.tumblr.com/post/161991600010/kurotsuki-dance-au-fanart-for-dance-like-only-im) amazing piece of Kuroo and Tsukki in their dance outfits! It really looks phenomenal!

“Thank you for letting me use the shower, Kuroo.” Tsukishima stepped out of the bathroom, nuzzled in the warmth of Kuroo’s over sized shirt and baggy pants, both completely red and with the Nekoma logo on them, and a part of them smelt like they were drenched in Kuroo’s cologne, it was almost a nice feeling.

His hair was still wet from just getting out of the shower, it had been a long day and even after calling his mom to let her know he would be staying the night, Tsukishima still felt all hot and sweaty, and not just from the practice. It was almost hard to believe that he would be getting so close to Kuroo tonight, almost like a dream, a dream that he didn’t want to screw up. How was someone supposed to act in a situation like this? Well, Tsukishima guessed it was too late to be worrying about that now, Kuroo was a gracious host, though.

“Kuroo?” Tsukishima called again after what felt like several seconds of silence, walking slowly as he poked his head out from the hallway and made his way into Kuroo’s bedroom, the bedroom they would both be sleeping in, only to be greeted with the sound of light snoring.

His bedroom was about the size of his back home, a small desk in one side with a laptop sitting on it, lots of dance posters splattered over the wall. Kuroo would be the kind of person to have posters that had dance related puns on them, it almost made Tsukishima laugh. There was also a book shelf with photo albums on it, no doubt all from Nekoma, and of course, a bed.

His bed lied against the wall farthest away from the door, right beside an open window to let some fresh air in, Kuroo was almost curled up into a perfect ball, wearing a black t-shirt and his red blanket covering up his lower half. Tsukishima found it hard not to stare at the constant breathing of his body moving up and down at a slow pace. There was something about him that looked peaceful right now.

Tsukishima forced himself to slouch down on the floor next to his bed, Kuroo was right, hot water did do wonders for yourself. There was something about Tsukishima that felt calm now. The whole way over here he could feel his mind becoming anxious at the thought of doing something like this. Maybe it was just the uneasy feeling of sleeping over at Kuroo’s house, he was worried that he would say something, do something, that something would happen that he would regret or make them call off this dance competition thing. Maybe there was a thought in his head right now that he worried he wouldn’t be able to control himself, even as he sat down on the floor next to Kuroo, he could feel the thought of desperately wanting to crawl in bed and cuddle with him creeping in. He wanted to touch him and be touched by him. He knew it was a terrible idea to have these thoughts, but he didn’t care, a part of Tsukishima just didn’t care as long as Kuroo never found out about it, and he wouldn’t, he would make sure of that.

When they first arrived here they discussed sleeping arrangements, since Kuroo was an only child and all, he only had one bed, his parents surprisingly didn’t have a guest room. Tsukishima immediately offered to sleep on the couch, he did that a few times before when he slept over with Yamaguchi in the past, it would be no big deal for him. Plus, even with Kuroo’s height, most beds were still too small for him, he could practically picture his feet hanging off the edge already.

Of course, Kuroo being the ‘nice the guy that he is’ (his exact words), Kuroo insisted that him and Tsukishima sleep in the same bed. He said something about ‘if you wake up with a sore back tomorrow from sleeping on the couch, then we can’t practice’. He was right, Tsukishima knew he was right but he still wanted to put up an argument. Sure, realistically there was nothing wrong with two teenage boys sleeping in the same bed, but for Tsukishima it felt too easy, like he was being tempted. Maybe he wanted to be tempted, but Tsukishima couldn’t see himself giving in so easily, or he just didn’t want to see himself give in so easily.

Either way, Tsukishima didn’t see himself falling asleep any time soon. It may have just been from the warm shower, but his mind was wide awake, thinking too much maybe, he needed to find a way to distract himself.

Another thing that happened when they first arrived here was that Kuroo gave Tsukishima the password to his laptop, it was an easy thing that anyone could have guessed, ‘Nekoma01’, he said Kenma set the password for him, which was almost funny to think of. Apparently, Kuroo was terrible at coming up with passwords. Though, Tsukishima’s passwords all involved the names of various dinosaurs, so he wasn’t much better.

He told him he could use it to update his social media, or if his phone wasn’t working for some reason he could still get in contact with his family. Both Tsukishima’s mom and older brother liked to worry, and he could just picture one of them pestering him about not knowing where he is. Though, this was Tokyo, this place was surrounded by phone towers, there was no way his phone wouldn’t be working, but he still couldn’t complain.

Tsukishima never really considered himself to be the type of person who would snoop through others’ belongings, well, he never would do something like that, because Tsukishima never was curious about what was in someone else’s bag or on their laptop before. But he would be lying if he said he wasn’t the least bit curious about what kind of music Kuroo listens to. His personality didn’t match his appearance at all, and Tsukishima pictures him as more of an indie rock kind of guy, but deep down he was probably someone who listened to pop or hip hop music. He half expected his entire music selection to just be bands and idol groups that Bokuto put on there for him.

He might have been a terrible person right now, but Tsukishima couldn’t resist the urge to type in the password and click away. He could just tell Kuroo that he left his phone charger at home and he needed to check his email, it was a simple excuse, though still a lie. Tsukishima hated lying, or more so, he just didn’t so it, most of the time telling a lie was more trouble than it was worth, and he always hated doing things that were unnecessary. This, of course, was the exception.

Once he entered the home page on Kuroo’s laptop he was met with a bright red background with a small black cat in the center, something that seemed fitting for him. He looked around at the music screen until he noticed the music icon and clicked on to it. There he was met with a playlist that was identical to the one that was on that flash drive he gave him earlier. It didn’t take him more than a moment to decide to plug his headphones into the computer and start listening.

He figured since he brought his headphones with him pretty much everywhere that it would be some easy listening until he fell asleep. He put it on shuffle and closed his eyes to where the lids were barely open, leaning his head against the wall behind him, and he began fiddling with his phone in his hand as he waited for one of the songs to strike his interest.

He skipped a lot of songs as he played whatever app he could find on his phone. The first one was too slow, the next too upbeat, the one after that he didn’t like the lyrics for, and the one after that was fine but he just didn’t really like it that much. He sighed, almost groaning, realizing this was going to be harder than he thought.

_Beep. Beep._

Tsukishima looked down at the sound of his phone buzzing, he thought it would be Yamaguchi, he could already picture him checking up on him, asking him how his night was going, how his practice with Kuroo was going, and if anything had happened yet. Not that he knew what it was exactly that Yamaguchi was expecting to happen, being one of the few people who knew about the crush that Tsukishima had. He may have actually regretted that he told him he would be staying the night with Kuroo, Yamaguchi did always have a tendency to overreact to things when it came to text messages, and he wasn’t sure that he could deal with his excitement this late at night. But to his surprise, it was Kenma.

**_From: Kenma_ **

_Kuro told me you’re staying over._

_This is Kenma, btw._

_How are you and Kuro?_

Tsukishima never thought about it before, but when it comes to texting, Kuroo is like a five-year-old, using abbreviations whenever he could, the opposite of how he texts, and also the opposite of how Kenma texts. It was almost refreshing to see someone spell out the full words in texting. Though, this still left Tsukishima feeling curious on so many levels.

**_To: Kenma_ **

_I’m fine. Kuroo’s sleeping._

He let his fingers just move on their own, tapping away at the dimly lit buttons, he couldn’t help but pause and look over at Kuroo in the process, he kept up that same peaceful breathing as he changed positions. He rolled over, now facing Tsukishima with one of his arms hanging over the edge of the bed. Tsukishima felt his heart skip a beat as he watched, and he swore he saw some drool leaking from Kuroo’s mouth and onto his pillow. At time like this, Tsukishima caught himself thinking what it was exactly Kuroo would be dreaming about, probably dance moves or something. He also saw a number of biology and science themed books scattered around his room, maybe he was dreaming about space.

Tsukishima tried to distract himself, but he found it hard to not look over at Kuroo, his face smooshed against the pillow, and his hair somehow laying flatter than it was before. It was cute, he could feel his face heat up, and don’t even get him started on the small amount of skin that was showing from the covers that were falling off the bed. It didn’t make it hard to see the toned leg muscles he had been hiding. Well, he could pick himself up and spin himself around multiple times on a stripper pole, it was no surprise that he was toned. It was just hard for Tsukishima to keep his thoughts collected when he was looking at a sight like _that_.

It wasn’t long before he heard the buzzing of his phone again, and he was reminded of how creepy doing something like this actually is. If the roles had been reversed, he would probably yell at Kuroo for doing something like this to him. Though, give how Tsukishima had been acting recently, maybe he would have felt embarrassed instead. It was already obvious that being in any kind of intimate situation with Kuroo left his heart racing.

He groaned to himself, knowing that he was a wreck right now, and it was all thanks to a certain bedhead. All he could do was look down at his phone again for a distraction.

**_From: Kenma_ **

_Okay. Have fun._

_Oh, and be careful. he drools._

Tsukishima almost laughed at that as he tried to think up a response. He couldn’t quite decide what it was that Kenma’s intentions were right now, maybe he just wanted to check in on him or Kuroo, or maybe this was something like what happened back at the training camp, where it felt like he was trying to hint at something for Tsukishima. He didn’t quite feel right about ending the conversation right there, but something in him couldn’t quite decide what to say. It didn’t help that Kenma didn’t seem like the kind of person who was up for conversation, even when it came to texting.

He closed his eyes fully and leaned his head up against the wall, listening to the music of whatever current song was on the playlist. It somehow had just the right beat of music without sounding too sappy. Tsukishima never considered himself to be one who liked romance songs, but this one wasn’t bad. He couldn’t help but open his eyes and stare at Kuroo as he listened to it. This is it, this is the song.

Tsukishima just decided it on the spot, and he didn’t have time to look on the computer to see what the name of the song is, he was met with the sound of a sleepy Kuroo as he groaned and almost rolled his way off the bed. He didn’t even notice that his phone went off again, but he didn’t think Kenma was the type of person to hold a grudge.

“How long was I out?” Kuroo asked as he rubbed his forehead, sitting up and letting the covers rest on his lower half. He looked almost dazed as he tried to get a better grip of his surroundings.

“No more than thirty minutes.” Tsukishima lied, shutting the lid to Kuroo’s laptop and pulling his head phones off. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to specifically recall how long it had been. Though, he wasn’t entirely sure since every moment seemed to blend together from the time Tsukishima got out of the shower until now.

That was the thing about time, hours could pass and it could only feel like mere minutes, and unless you were specifically paying attention to a clock, you wouldn’t actually know how much time had passed. That’s what Tsukishima felt like right now. It could have been hours but it only felt like minutes, in a way, time stood still when he was around Kuroo.

“Oh good. I was worried I left you alone. Did you find a song?” Kuroo instantly perked up, wiping the sleep from his eyes as he bolted out of bed.

In a matter of seconds, Tsukishima found Kuroo sitting on the floor next to him, still in his underwear as he pulled the laptop away from him. There was something about his hair that seemed less messy now, it didn’t really have the same ‘bedhead’ affect that he was used to seeing, it almost looked flat now, yet somehow still not natural. And Tsukishima forced himself to focus in on that instead of looking at _other_ parts that may have been a little more obvious at this moment. Though, he had already spent several minutes admiring his legs.

“The last one I listened to.” Tsukishima almost felt embarrassed that he couldn’t remember the name of the song, so he just pointed to the laptop as he leaned over to look at the screen. “Can you make up a dance to it?”

“I should be able to.” Kuroo hummed and shook his head up and down. He had a look of concentration on his face, like he was thinking, and Tsukishima felt himself grow quiet, not wanting to disturb him. It was almost like you could see the gears in his brain rotating, plotting the dance right now in his head.

On the subject of things, they really hadn’t discussed what they would do tomorrow, what time they would get up, where they would meet to practice, and anything else they would do this weekend. Tsukishima didn’t really plan to stay over, so he brought very little food and money this weekend. Well, it wouldn’t be that much of a problem, it wasn’t like Tsukishima wasn’t a stranger to skipping a few meals here or there, so things should be fine. If anything, he was more worried about what would possibly happen tonight, or maybe he was worried about what wouldn’t happen.

No matter how hard he thought about it, and how many times he imagined various scenarios, Tsukishima couldn’t decide what outcome he would be more complacent with, something happening between him and Kuroo, or nothing happening between him and Kuroo. In a way, he wanted to kiss him and touch him right now, but in a way, he didn’t, he wanted to keep this relationship professional. He was so conflicted to the point where he felt nauseous, and he wasn’t sure just how much of that was showing on his face right now.

“You okay, Tsukki?” Kuroo spoke up again, closing his laptop and sliding it off to the side of the room. He had a concerned look on his face as Tsukishima struggled to force back a yawn. His whole body was starting to feel lethargic, like he might pass out at any minute. It really had been a long day.

“Fine, just tired.” He groaned, and he could feel himself almost move forward to lie down on the floor. “It’s my turn to take a nap.” Tsukishima couldn’t even tell himself if he was joking or not, but he almost subconsciously reached for the bed, pulling himself up and resting his head on one of the soft pillows there.

It smelt just like the shampoo Tsukishima saw when he was in the shower. Since Tsukishima didn’t bring his own, he was forced to use Kuroo’s. it had a surprisingly refreshing scent to it, almost like strawberries. Strange to think Kuroo would own something that smelt like this.

“Then I’ll go to sleep too, it’s pretty cold out tonight, so I’ll sleep with you.” Kuroo insisted as he climbed into bed with him, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but feel trapped as he was squished against the wall, with Kuroo almost planting his face into the back of Tsukishima’s shoulder, it was almost like the two of them were spooning with Tsukishima facing the wall and Kuroo right behind him. Why did the spot here have to be so narrow?

If this was another time or another place, Tsukishima may have enjoyed this, well, that was a lie, he _was_ enjoying this right now, he was trying to force himself not to enjoy this, just as he was forcing himself not to look at Kuroo. He would settle for staring at the blank white wall, if it meant he wouldn’t have to feel some kind of embarrassment right now.

“You don’t have to.” Tsukishima sighed out, the usual tone in his voice, or the lack there of a tone in his voice, even he could tell how boring he sounded right now, but he tried not to let that bother him. He was tired, and with any luck he would sleep straight through the night, he needed his sleep if they were going to work on dance routines tomorrow.

“Nonsense.” Kuroo almost purred in his ear, his breath was cold and sent a terrible chill down his back as he struggled to remain calm.

He didn’t even bother to think of right now that even though Kuroo lent him some clothes to sleep in tonight, which were just as oversized as they sounded, given the difference in muscle on their two bodies, but the two of them were basically sleeping in their underwear. Tsukishima didn’t even want to talk or think about what parts he was or wasn’t feeling right now.

“We’re partners now, and I couldn’t let you sleep on the floor or on the couch.” Kuroo again, almost sounding seductive as he grit his teeth.

“Then you sleep on the floor.” Tsukishima sounded almost vindictive as the words left his mouth, this was pretty much his only way of dealing with a situation like this, sarcasm.

Though he didn’t mean it, and he was certain Kuroo could tell that he didn’t mean it, but Tsukishima still felt the urge to turn around and say something a bit softer to him, maybe out of fear of him taking it the wrong way.

“Hey, can you put my glasses somewhere?” He spoke softly, trying to correct his harsh tone, only getting a small glimpse of Kuroo as he turned around, his vision now blurrier from taking off his glasses. He could see his long, dark eyelashes blinking at him, with sleep still in his eyes as their noses almost touched. Why was it so hot every time Kuroo was in the room? Was he some kind of permanent heater? Well, given how cold it was, maybe him being a heater was a good thing.

“Sure.” He took them without question, grabbing the plastic frames by the edge and turning over to place them on the desk that was next to the bed. “Hey, Tsukki-“

“What?” Tsukishima remained turned around, noticing how Kuroo never finished his sentence. His vision was almost completely blurred thanks to his glasses no longer being on him, so he couldn’t see what kind of face he was making, but then maybe that was a good thing.

“Never mind. Goodnight, Tsukki.”

“Goodnight, Kuroo.” He didn’t have to look at him that time to know that he was slouching, and anyone could easily pick up on the sense of disappointment in his voice, but Tsukishima couldn’t bring himself to say anything. Instead, he simply just drifted off into sleep, hoping it was nothing important, and that him and Kuroo could talk in the morning.

 

 

 

“Mhm.” Tsukishima’s eyes snapped open almost out of reflex as he woke from an abrupt slumber. Was this still a dream? He didn’t even know anymore. His eyes felt hazy as they tried to get a grip on his surroundings, almost forgetting where he was.

“Tsukki~” An oddly familiar voice echoed in his ear as he forced himself to shift his weight and turn around, facing Kuroo.

He wasn’t sure what time it was, and his eyesight was too bad to make out the clock on the wall behind Kuroo’s head, but judging from how it was still pitch black outside, he guessed it was somewhere between one and three in the middle of the night. He had only been out for a few hours, and he felt unusually warm right now. He thought it was probably just from Kuroo’s blankets. He was just like Yamaguchi in the sense that he sleeps with multiple blankets on his bed at all times. They were two huge black and red quilt-like things, both warm and comfortable as he was so close that he could feel the heat radiating off of Kuroo as he slept.

He still couldn’t see, but he could make out various parts of Kuroo’s face while he slept. Like the way his nose scrunches up every time he inhales, the slight little snore he makes, and how he rests one of his arms underneath his head like it were an additional pillow. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, hell, he had seen similar sleeping patterns when he would sleep over with Yamaguchi when they were younger, but there was something about the way Kuroo looked right now. It was different from Yamaguchi and anybody else he had seen sleep before, it was peaceful and cute.

Tsukishima almost felt scared at how he was staring at him, the rational part of his brain was telling him how creepy this probably was, but he couldn’t find a way to stop himself. There was something about Kuroo that just seemed to want to be admired right now, and don’t even get him started on his cute lips, and the way they were ever so slightly curled up.

If you take the cuteness out of this, there were several other looming thoughts bothering Tsukishima’s mind. The dance they had yet to learn, the costumes, the preliminary event coming up in two weeks, and on top of that it wouldn’t be too long before the travelling back and forth to Tokyo started to wear him down. It was fine for now, but it was summer, and he could afford to stay over like this when he didn’t have school, but that would only last for so long.

In a way, Kageyama was right, no matter how much Tsukishima didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that, he had a point. Learning more than one dance is hard enough for Karasuno. Kuroo was good at it, but he had way more experience than he did, and Tsukishima’s biggest concern right now was messing up something for Kuroo. He had noticed it before, but there was a deeper passion in Kuroo’s eyes when he talked about this dance competition, like it meant more to him than just something to get scholarship money from. Tsukishima didn’t think till now to ask him why he cared so much, but he knew that question might be a bit sensitive for Kuroo, and despite what a lot of people think about Tsukishima, he isn’t actually an asshole.

Well, he assumed he could just bring it up in some casual conversation some time later, so there was that.

Tsukishima forced himself to roll back over on the bed, placing his head on the pillow and facing the wall, his whole body feeling like they were in some terrible, uncomfortable position from how close they were right now, as he attempted to fall back asleep. He may have actually succeeded if he hadn’t been woken up by another noise a few seconds later.

“Tsukki~” Kuroo’s voice spoke again, forcing Tsukishima to roll back around and face him. This time he was sure he wasn’t just imaging things. Did he talk in his sleep?

Well, there wasn’t anything really wrong with that, it was something that a lot of people did. His brother did it, hell, at the training camp he was forced to sleep next to Hinata, and he talked in his sleep more than anyone. He swore that if he had to hear him speak about anymore dance moves he was going to murder him with a pillow. But for Kuroo, it was fine, he was nice, and for some reason he didn’t seem to mind being woken up in his sleep by him.

“Tsukki~” Tsukishima listened to Kuroo calling his name again, it had an almost seductive ring to it, and it made him realize that he liked the sound of it. Wait, was Kuroo dreaming of him?

It wasn’t something that probably would have been that out of the ordinary, most people tend to dream of the last thing they saw before they fell asleep, it happened all the time when you would fall asleep watching a TV show or movie, so it wasn’t that hard to believe it could happen with just people too. But this was more alarming than flattering, it was like the universe was purposely teasing him. What was going on here?

“Hey. Kuroo-“ Tsukishima attempted to shake him lightly, he wasn’t sure why he wanted to wake him up so much, but he figured he could just tell him he was yelling in his sleep, he didn’t seem like the kind of person who would be angered by something like that.

Tsukishima didn’t know what it was in him that made him care so much suddenly, maybe it was just his mind subtly freaking out, but since he really wasn’t in a position to leave the room, he had no other option. Why was Kuroo saying his name to begin with?

Realizing it was useless after several minutes of trying, since Kuroo was pretty much like a rock that you couldn’t move, he couldn’t be woken up by anything. He thought about texting Kenma, to see if there was a way to wake Kuroo up, but opted not too since he might be sleeping. Tsukishima found himself growing tired, about ready to give in and go back to sleep, until he heard Kuroo speak up again in his sleep. This time it was different from what he heard before, more than just his name, and Tsukishima felt that he had to be dreaming right now.

“Tsukki, I like you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter went a bit differently than I thought. I ended up re-writing this at least three times. When I first came up with the idea I thought this chapter might turn slightly sexual, but as I started writing it I realized that it didn't fit and felt kind of forced, so I hope you guys still like it, and we shall get to a sexual chapter eventually, haha.  
> Thank you guys so much for the support on this story so far! Your comments definitely help keep me motivated to write more of this story! Next chapter we will get to the preliminary event with Kuroo and Tsukki, and we will get to see some other characters in their dance outfits.  
> Also, next chapter may be out a little later than usual, since I'm going to be doing a little bit of research to get some ideas together for the other characters outfits, as well as I've also been working on some other one-shots recently, so I'll try to update this story when I can. :)


	8. Preliminary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo and Tsukishima attend the preliminary event for the dance competition they entered. There they meet Bokuto and Akaashi and get to see their outfits, as well as some other interesting people. Later, Kuroo runs into an old friend and ropes Tsukishima into going along with a lie he tells.

“Oh, it looks a lot bigger this year.” Kuroo spoke, an almost impressed tone in his voice, his eyes seemed to light up as he looked around the area.

“Have you been here before?” Tsukishima asked as he almost felt amused to watch Kuroo, his eyes also scanning over the area.

“Just once, I came last year to watch Bo and Akaashi. They always have the preliminary’s and the competition at the same place.”

“Is that so?”

Tsukishima felt himself fiddle with the cuffs on his sleeve as he looked around. He wasn’t exactly the kind of person who would get nervous at these sorts of events, but he couldn’t deny there was some uneasiness in him as he thought about how they were going to be judged based on learning a dance in a few short minutes. It would be a lot like how it was when he first joined the dance team for Karasuno, except this time there was no security of knowing you would get in no matter what. It was a bit of a do or die situation, and Tsukishima knew that the competition would be fierce.

Normally there was no reason to be nervous, as long as you knew your dance you were fine, but there was something almost nerve-racking to be forced to learn a dance on the spot like this, and it didn’t help at all knowing that more eyes would be on them than usual.

They were new comers to this, and on top of that, Tsukishima knew their arrival here wouldn’t be taken lightly. Most of the people around here were from Tokyo, and from what he saw in that one interview and article about last year’s winners, they didn’t take lightly to people who were ‘from the country town of Miyagi’. Just thinking about how the people they passed were already looking down on him made him want to rile them up, and not to mention Kuroo had this look about him, like he was anxious, in a good way.

The main floor with this place was filled with pretty much what you would expect. A table sat in the middle with a royal blue table cloth over top of it, with ‘Interhigh Couples Dance Competition Preliminaries’ written across it in white. There were two young, almost too perky, girls sitting at the table, both with white pieces of paper in their hands. It was freaky at how they were able to smile so much at everyone, but Kuroo didn’t seem to have a hard time dealing with them. He talked to them and got their numbers they were supposed to place on the back of their dance outfits. It was more of a way for them to know what group they would be in for dancing, but it was almost a nuisance to have this big white sticker with a number blocking the design Yamamoto’s mom worked so hard on.

It was number eleven, of course, putting them in the third group, which somehow seemed to easy the unsettled feeling in Tsukishima right now. It was like they were giving a presentation in school, and nobody wanted to go first or last, it was always better to go in the middle for the sake of nerves.

Though, the number eleven seemed to haunt Tsukishima wherever he went. Dance teams don’t really have numbers like most sports teams do, but in Karasuno they assigned an order of where every player would stand, starting with the third years and working their way down. They gave each person a number so it could be easier to direct movements that way. He could still hear the voice of Daichi saying ‘okay, then five will be moving here and do this jump’ in his head, and just as some terrible fate would have it, Tsukishima’s number was number eleven.

There were several more people here than they thought, there had to be no less than fifty people competing, all each with extravagant and flashy outfits, somehow it made him feel like they didn’t stick out nearly as much as he thought.

On the subject of the outfits, the ones that they picked out for Yamamoto’s mom to design for them came out well. Tsukishima was a little hesitant to try it on at first, given how lanky his body tends to be, but it fit him perfectly. The flowy, rhinestone studded sleeves almost had an ombrè effect, like a dark, galaxy rainbow. It looked even better than the one in the picture, and unlike the outfit he had to wear for Karasuno, the dark blue vest and pants actually felt comfortable.

Kuroo and him matched and there was something about the mixture of colors that looked good against his black hair. It was almost hard to describe, and the way the white star buttons and the rainbow sleeves seemed to glow almost made Tsukishima feel like they were both professional dancers.

“Not wearing your glasses, Tsukki?” Kuroo asked as he looked at him, he could see him checking his back to make sure his sticker was on sturdy enough.

“I don’t wear them for competitions, they get in the way. Does it bother you?” Tsukishima sighed, his face almost felt naked without them.

It was a habit he started in middle school, sometimes when you’re doing a lot of tight turns and jumps your glasses can fly off your face if they’re no secure. He wasn’t the biggest fan of wearing contacts, but it was better than risking breaking his glasses.

He did feel slightly awkward like this, though. Maybe it was just because he was used to the feeling of the plastic frames hugging his face so much, but there was almost a new added coldness to his face now, it made him feel uneasy, and he wasn’t sure that he liked it.

“Oh no, I’ve just never seen you without your glasses before.” Kuroo smirked, an almost perverted, provoking smile as Tsukishima felt a chill run down his spine. “It’s cute, your eyes are pretty.”

“Huh-“ Tsukishima felt himself get taken off guard, trying to form his thoughts, but he was interrupted by Kuroo, well, that was probably a good thing.

Was that a compliment? Well, it sounded like one, but once again, getting called ‘cute’ wasn’t exactly something that he knew how to take well. Was a tall, lanky guy who was over six feet really considered cute? He didn’t think so, and this was just another reason why didn’t like being without his glasses, it made him feel more vulnerable, less guarded, like more people could see some kind of weakness in him like this.

“Tsukki, follow me, let’s walk to the practice room together.” He persisted, leaning him down one of the long hallways that the main room branched off into.

“Okay.” Tsukishima followed closely behind Kuroo, well, not so much closely as they walked in unison down a white hallway.

The building they were at today was originally one of the buildings of the Tokyo convention center, The Big Sight, as it was known for. This building was originally used for a lot of sports competitions, like volleyball and basketball, so there were lots of open spaces, gyms, and art on the walls. Tsukishima was also pretty sure he could smell the salonpas in the air as they walked to what was the only open room in the hallway.

“Kuroo! Tsukki!” A familiar voice called from behind him as they stood a few inches away from the open door.

Tsukishima noted that there was a little nameplate card saying it was for the dance competition next to the open door, and it looked like a big gym that was re-appropriated for the dance competition today. He tried not pay mind to how many people were already in there as he turned around to see who the voice was coming from.

“Hey, Bo.” Kuroo snickered turning fully around with that same smirk on his face as they were met with Bokuto and Akaashi.

“Hello, Tsukishima.” Akaashi added, the usual smile on his face.

In a way, he felt himself feel kind of surprised to see them here, it was strange to see familiar faces at a place he was certain felt like a group of strangers, but he welcomed it, almost smiling at him in return.

“Glad you guys made it.” Bokuto beamed, the same happy, over enthusiastic look on his face as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. He didn’t really remember until now how much the four of them had been keeping in touch.

Ever since the training camp they all exchanged phone numbers, and they would keep each other up to date on how their practices were going for this competition. Bokuto and Akaashi were always at a huge advantage, they had been working on this since the start of the school year, if not since this competition ended last year. They already knew what their song and dance routines were going to be long before Kuroo and Tsukishima even began to work on theirs.

That wasn’t to say Tsukishima wasn’t feeling confident, Kuroo and him had put in a lot of effort over these past few weeks. Ever since the day Tsukishima told Kuroo which song it was that he liked. Kuroo mapped out the whole routine over night and they both started working on it pretty much the next day. Kuroo always being cautious about it, asking Tsukishima what jumps and flips he felt the most comfortable doing, and as well as teaching him how to be more flexible in the process. Tsukishima could do the splits now, and even though that wasn’t something they had planned for this dance, it did have its perks. Practicing with Kuroo also did wonders for Karasuno too.

Tsukishima was now one of the more flexible people on the team, even impressing Kageyama, which no doubt shut him up and kept him out of his business with practicing with Kuroo. He even heard praise from Daichi and Suga from time to time about how he was showing more emotion now, something he picked up from Kuroo and all their time together. It was hard to explain, but even Tsukishima knew how much more he was into it now, there was passion to the way he danced and passion to Kuroo. it was almost unimaginable that he had motivation again, and hard to believe this new emotion and power all stemmed from one man.

Of course, that still didn’t mean Bokuto and Kuroo weren’t at each others throats a lot of the time when it came to texting, they would tease each other and talk about how great their partners were. It was a group chat, so Tsukishima always felt a little awkward hearing such praise from him. Even with how much they had been working, Tsukishima couldn’t say that he felt completely confident about the dance.

The spins, the jumps, the lifts, all those things he was fine with, some days it felt like all of those things were just improv and they were just dancing to the music. Though, the actual couples dancing part of it Tsukishima still felt challenging.

In a way, it was a lot like ballroom dancing. You had to move your feet with your partner’s feet. When you split up, you still had to make sure you two were moving in perfect sync with the other, something that Tsukishima had little experience with at Karasuno, and couldn’t quite grasp right now. Kuroo was a good teacher and more than helpful, but there were a lot of days when Tsukishima was starting to wonder if Kuroo should have chosen someone else to be his partner.

Tsukishima wasn’t really much of a self doubter, but even he had days when his lack of experience in certain things was undeniable. That was one of the things about when you start to love something, it opens the door for you to start second guessing yourself. Tsukishima loved doing this, but he often wondered how much he was improving and if he was good enough.

Akaashi and Yamaguchi were both his go-to for moral support in times like that. Akaashi would always send him the most comforting of texts, letting him know that it was okay to take a break and take things slow, some days it was exactly what he needed, but Yamaguchi on the other hand, was a bit biased when it came to things like this. He knew he would always support him, which was what he needed sometimes, but there were some days when even Tsukishima felt like he couldn’t deal with it. He always chalked it up to him still being a first year, but even now as he looked at the people he passed in the hallway, he felt they were all so much more experienced than he was. It almost made him click his tongue with how much it annoyed him. He wanted to win, not just for himself, but for Kuroo too.

Outside of the inexperience he had, there was one more thing weighing on his mind, the things Kuroo said that night. He had pretty much convinced himself that it was all a dream, not even telling Yamaguchi about it, he sort of just assumed that his dreams were starting to blur with reality for a moment, probably from how tired he was.

However, that wasn’t the problem he had, it had been two weeks and he was still thinking about it. When he would go to sleep at night, now in the comfort of his own bed, it would be all that he could think about. He couldn’t stop thinking about Kuroo and those words, even if they meant nothing at all. Just because someone says they ‘like you’ doesn’t mean romantically, like how Tsukishima would say that he liked Yamaguchi or how he could tolerate Hinata, it wasn’t saying that he liked them romantically, but more so that he didn’t hate them. It was a complicated set of words, and even more so when it’s coming from someone you feel this way towards. He tried to keep telling himself it was all just a dream, but would a dream still remain this clear in your mind after this long?

“But what are with those outfits?” Tsukishima zoned back in as both Kuroo and Bokuto were taking jabs at one another, this time it was Bokuto who was mocking the galaxy-like outfits of Kuroo and Tsukishima. Though, he didn’t feel that offended considering what it was Bokuto and Akaashi were wearing, which were clearly picked out by Bokuto.

Looking at them, Bokuto and Akaashi looked pretty normal, they looked like they did back at the training camp just wearing suits now. Bokuto’s hair was still in the same usual spiked up owl motion as he was clad in a white dress shirt with black thin stripes, while the vest and the pants were brown with stitches lining it that almost made it look like feathers. Though, given Bokuto’s owl obsession, Tsukishima was surprised that they didn’t just show up wearing owl onesies or something.

There was one detail though, one detail that set their outfits apart from just about everyone else’s here, the feathers.

Well, with Bokuto’s obsession with owls it was only natural to think he would wear something like _this_ , but even Tsukishima was starting to think that it was a little much.

Underneath the rolled up sleeves of their white dress shirts with the thin stripes, there looked like there were fingerless gloves, Bokuto’s in light gray and Akaashi’s in black, both with an almost lace pattern and feathers extending out from the bottom and the sides of the gloves. It really was a bit much. Tsukishima fund himself wondering how it was even possible to dance with those things. Well, Bokuto was primarily a hip hop dancer, so he was certain he found a way. Hell, maybe it would hinder them and they would actually have a chance of beating them.

“Oh, like you’re one to talk, have you seen what you’re wearing? You look like you just escaped from a zoo.” Kuroo laughed and Tsukishima couldn’t help but also snicker in the process, those terrible jokes Kuroo told could actually be funny sometimes.

“Hey, these are top of the line, hand sewn owl outfits! You’re just saying that cuz ya’ look like an asteroid exploded!”

“What’d you say? I’ll have you know that Tsukki picked out these outfits.” Kuroo took Tsukishima, looping his arm around his shoulder and pulling him into the conversation. He could hear a slight snear coming out of Akaashi as he did so, like he was amused by all this, he always had that same look in his eyes, like he was scheming something.

“Really? They’re quite impressive, Tsukishima.” Akaashi smiled, including himself in on the conversation and distracting everyone, and Tsukishima had a hard time deciding what that tone in his voice was.

“Thank you.” He nodded politely, turning his attention to several people that passed them in the hallway as they walked closer and peaked their heads into the open room. “Say, do you know any of these people?”

The room looked like your typical dance room, a lot like their practice room back at Karasuno or Kozume dance studio except much larger.

It had a mirror lining all four of the walls and a barre in front of one of them. The same light wooden floors that he was so used to seeing, and a small black table with a black table cloth at one of the sides. There were three people sitting at it, all of them had to be well past their forties, and two other people stood in the front of the room. There was no doubt that they were the judges and people here to teach them whatever dance they wanted them to learn.

The only thing that made it intimidating was the large amount of people in the room, all of them lined up in various areas, watching everyone else as they did their warm-up stretches. Tsukishima’s eyes picked up on ten small pieces of bright red tape on the floor, probably for them to stand up on in groups when it was there turn to perform the dance.

As he watched some more, he was starting to get the feeling that this was the kind of thing where you’re forced to do the dance in front of everyone, with all their eyes watching and constantly judging you. Normally something like that would be fine if you didn’t consider how close everyone was, it was like fifty people with glitter were all crammed into one tight box, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit of uneasiness in him, even though he didn’t show it.

“Yeah, let me show you guys some people.” Bokuto perked up, grabbing Tsukishima by the shoulder and beginning to point at various people around the room. Upon closer inspection, Tsukishima began to recognize them as people he read about in that article before.

“Over there in black and yellow you have the ever so snobby Miya twins, they win every year, and they’re both so over confident that they feel like they can crush any competition.” Bokuto pointed to the people who he immediately recognized as Miya Atsumu and Miya Osamu, the winners from last year in the article.

Tsukishima was still having a hard time telling them apart, but he was pretty sure that Atsumu was the more cocky of the two, in the article, Osamu didn’t really say much and had this almost glaring look in his eyes, he seemed pretty lax.

The two of them both wore matching black shirts and tight black pants, with gold trim around the cuffs and around the buttons, their shirts looked so tight that they were almost like they were see through. Their outfits looked simple, yet stylish. The first few buttons of their shirts were undone, which were no doubt sending the few women that were in the room into some kind of frenzy. They weren’t even doing anything right now except leaning against the barre, but even so, they had the eyes of most of the women on them. They both looked bored and like they were just observing everyone.

“Over on the right side of the room we’ve got Ushijima and Tendou from Shiratorizawa Academy. They always come in in the top three. Though when it comes down to it, their personalities really aren’t that bad, Ushijima is pretty attractive so all the ladies like him, and Tendou’s funny and likes manga.”

Tsukishima remembered hearing about them, they came in second last year and Shiratorizawa is one of the more well known schools at nationals. He remembered at the last match, Aoba Josei complaining about how they wanted to beat them.

The one guy, Ushijima, with his dark hair and serious look almost looked like he was concentrating too hard. While the other guy, Tendou, with his almost smiling face, tried eyes, and spikey red hair looked to be the opposite. It was hard to imagine that those two were partners.

If the Miya twins were simple yet stylish, then Ushijima and Tendou were the complete opposite. Their outfits were an almost flamboyant shade of purple with white rhinestones all through the front of it. There was something about it that almost made it seem like it was a proper suit, with a puffy white collar underneath all the purple, showing off a little bit of their chests. The white part that was underneath was mixed in with black buttons, and everything about it looked so clean that you would think the thing had never been worn before, which was probably true.

Both Ushijima and Tendou were on the right side of the room. Ushijima looked serious, drinking out of a blue bottle of water as his eyes looked around the room. Tsukishima thought for a moment that they locked eyes, but maybe it was just his imagination.

Tendou on the other hand was stretching, leaning over the barre with one of his legs on the far side of the room, while he had an issue of manga in his hand. It was hard to make out what he was reading from the angle, but something about him didn’t seem to be taking this seriously at all. Though, that still didn’t help the almost menacing aura that seemed to be coming from the two of them.

“He may not look like it, but Tendou is actually a real threat.” Akaashi spoke up, standing next to Tsukishima as the four of them stood near the back wall of the room, he seemed to be able to tell just how hard he was thinking right now.

“How so?” Tsukishima questioned, still not letting his eyes up from looking around the room. There were so many outfits and interesting colors here that he thought he may go blind if he stared at one person for too long. It was hard to believe there were some people who had this terrible a taste in clothing.

“They call him the ‘Guess Monster’, mostly because he does a lot of improvising. They apparently always have a set routine they do, but they change it up each time on the spot. It’s a mixture of Ushijima’s superior skill and Tendou’s quick thinking. It’s almost infuriating just how easy they make it look.” Akaashi sighed and Tsukishima didn’t need to be looking at him to see the annoyance on his face.

“Tell me about it.” Bokuto shrugged. “But this year we have a secret weapon.” He winked at both Kuroo and Tsukishima as they sent him a questionable look.

“And what might that be?” Kuroo chimed in, almost condescending as he did so, like he was pushing him on.

“Well, this year we’re gonna-“

“Well, well, Kuroo Tetsurou, didn’t think I would see you here.” A different voice appeared to their left, causing everyone to turn around and look at it as Bokuto stopped speaking. Tsukishima didn’t know who it was or what he was expecting, but he was met with an alarming amount of green.

“Daishou. Hey, buddy, haven’t seen you around in a while.” Kuroo’s voice had the most fake tone in it, like he was pretending to be nice to someone he actually hated. His pettiness right now was that of being on level of a teenage girl with the look he had on his face. It was an expression Tsukishima had never seen before.

The new person, ‘Daishou’ based on how Kuroo addressed him, looked about their age, he was guessing he was a third year, probably from one of the other nearby schools in Tokyo. He was wearing so much green that he looked like a forest ranger. It was this almost bright shade of emerald green, with puffy shoulders and sleeves, and a white and green striped neck tie. His pants were even green too, with a bright white belt, and there was something about him that was giving off an almost snake vibe, then again, maybe that was just the smile on his face. Whatever the reason, it was clear that Kuroo didn’t like him.

“I’m surprised to see you attending this year, Kuroo. Did Kenma finally wear down and agree to dance with you?”

“Oh no.” Kuroo snapped up and directed his attention towards Tsukishima, pulling him closer to him, almost like he was showing him off.

Tsukishima was so taken off guard by all of this that he didn’t even have to process what was being said. One minute he was looking around the room as Bokuto was pointing out who everyone was, and the next Kuroo was dragging him, insisting something as he introduced him to someone he didn’t even know. It would have been a surprise if he wasn’t taken off guard right now.

“This is Tsukki, you wouldn’t know him, he’s from Miyagi. We met a couple months back and a few weeks ago I talked him into being my partner for this.”

“Is that so?” Daishou grinned, and his gaze made him look like he was examining Tsukishima, smiling at him and looking him over, it was like he was judging him even though he just met him. It wasn’t that hard to believe though, you meet all kinds of interesting people at these types of events, and one of the more common types is the ego type.

There were a lot of people who probably fell into this category, Tsukishima had met them time and time again from past competitions. They were the smug people, the people that look down on others and always judge you, the most annoying types of people. Tsukishima hated them, and yet in a way he could sympathize with them. It was just like how Tanaka and him would rile people up at Karasuno, some people probably thought he was an asshole because of it too. It wasn’t that Tsukishima meant to be an asshole, that’s just how his personality was. He was snarky, sarcastic, and loved to see the look on people’s faces when they got pissed off at him. It all sounded so terrible, but that’s just who he was.

But with all that aside, there was something that he didn’t like about Daishou, maybe it was just the way he smiled, but he was sensing some kind of love-hate relationship between Kuroo and him, which instantly made Tsukishima want to out do him.

“That’s right.” Tsukishima nodded, he wasn’t sure what it was exactly that was going on here, but he was no stranger to intimidation. Hell, his presence made him pretty much intimidating all the time, but if Kuroo didn’t like someone or wanted to rile them up, then Tsukishima would help him in every way he could.

“Daishou Suguru.” He stepped forward, extending out his hand and introducing himself, revealing his bright green fingernails that were concealed in his pockets. “I’m a third year and captain of the Nohebi dance team, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Tsukishima Kei, first year, from Karasuno in Miyagi.” He sounded so boring to everyone here as Tsukishima shook his hand.

Everyone he knew or was meeting here was either a captain or vice-captain of some sort, if not, then they were a third year on some notable team. Then there was him, someone who wasn’t any of those things, and sure, there was his height, but other than that all of this was stuff way out of his league. Even if you think about how there’s no way all the people here are just from Tokyo alone, he still felt like the odd one out.

“Ah, pretty name.” Daishou nodded and Tsukishima saw a strange look in his eyes, the kind of look that makes a chill run down your spine and then makes you want to burn all of your skin off. Gross. “Karasuno as in the Karasuno that is making a name for  themselves again, Karasuno?” Daishou seemed eager, almost pleased as a bright grin spread on his face.

“Karasuno?” As if Tsukishima was only half paying attention right now, he heard the noise of some people on the other side of the room speak up. The almost deep tone in his voice signified right away that it was Ushijima, who seemed to snap out of his intense concentration and look in their direction.

“It looks like someone else from Miyagi is here.” Tendou smirked, looking off in their direction as the two of them made their way over to where they stood. It seemed they attracted quite the crowd, and Tsukishima could feel himself become annoyed. Why were all these people standing around him so suddenly?

“If you’re from Karasuno then that must mean you know Oikawa from Aoba Josei. If you see him again, tell him Shiratorizawa sends it regards, and that he should have went there.” It was probably the most vague thing you could say to someone, but the look in Ushijima’s eyes was dead serious, and Tsukishima couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be a joke or not as he walked away.

What was that about? Well, it didn’t matter, it looked like something like that was a personal matter between Oikawa and Ushijima. He should concern himself with it, and instead go back to focusing on Kuroo and Daishou.

“That was odd.” Both Kuroo and Daishou spoke in unison as they went back to what they were talking about. Tsukishima found it become almost hard to focus as his thoughts were shaken up.

“But my, my, I’m impressed. Where have you been hiding someone like this all this time, Kuroo? Is he your boyfriend or something?” Daishou returned to both of them, smirking and grinning, and once again Tsukishima felt like he was being analyzed.

It seemed like an off hand comment, so off hand that Tsukishima would have thought that he was joking, he was probably joking, but the way he snapped up and looked at Kuroo seemed to indicate other wise. Maybe it was just the mention of the word ‘boyfriend’, but it didn’t set well with Tsukishima, or maybe it was that it set too well. It sounded too nice, and that would have been the logical thing Tsukishima would have been wanting after all, but all those little red flags were going off in his head when he heard Kuroo speak.

“You’ve got that right.” Kuroo wrapped his hand around Tsukishima’s shoulder, and his whole body tensed up. Kuroo was laughing but something about it didn’t seem sincere at all. “Tsukki and me are together.”

“We’re what?” Tsukishima snapped up, almost not realizing where this conversation was headed until now, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Bokuto and Akaashi walking away, leaving them at this prime opportunity. What did Kuroo just say? Tsukishima felt like he had to be hallucinating by this point, and there was no way Daishou wouldn’t be able to tell what was happening by the flabbergasted look on Tsukishima’s face.

“Now, now, don’t be shy, Tsukki.” Kuroo cooed in his ear, his voice had somewhat of an apologetic tone to it, and Tsukishima could feel himself become so conflicted as he thought about what he should do and say next. This was turning out to be an interesting day, and not in the way Tsukishima was expecting.

“That’s right.” Tsukishima cleared his throat and put a smile on his face, almost a smirk, even. “We started dating a few weeks ago, right at the start of the summer.”

“Is that so? Well, if that’s the case, then I won’t bother you two.” Daishou pried, throwing one of his hands in the air as if he was dropping the subject, and Tsukishima found it hard to hide the emotion on his face this time.

On the inside he was screaming, he wasn’t sure for what reason, but he was screaming. It was like a cross between feeling happy but having someone rip your heart out, it was almost too cruel, like someone was giving him an illusionary happiness. He couldn’t stand it, but at the same time he wasn’t going to make a scene. He would just have to grin and bear it, and hope that he could keep his emotions together.

Tsukishima and Kuroo both smiled as they waited for Daishou to say something, and he could feel himself lean his head into Kuroo, to fit that whole couple’s atmosphere.

“This is more of advice than anything else.” Daishou added in, he had a look on his face like he was pondering something. “This probably won’t be a problem for you two, since you’re a couple and all, but I heard the judges are getting stricter on how many people can actually compete this year. So, they’re probably not going to let people who can’t express ‘love’ be in it. You two should be careful, goodbye.” He walked away, waving his hand and his bright green nails as both Kuroo and Tsukishima took a deep sigh, taking their hands off of each other.

It felt like they were putting on such an act that Tsukishima forgot about everything else for a minute.

“Thank you for that.” Kuroo still had that apologetic look on his face, nodding to Tsukishima and probably hoping he would be understanding right now. Fortunately for Kuroo, Tsukishima would be willing to understand just about anything that came from him.

“It’s fine, I didn’t mind it.” Tsukishima sighed, relaxing himself as he continued to lean against a nearby wall. “Do you two not get along?”

“He’s an old childhood friend, but unlike Kenma, me and Daishou have always had more of a rivalry type of relationship, we like to rile each other up. I tease him about the number of people he’s slept with, and he teases me about not being able to have a boyfriend. Every year Nekoma dances against Nohebi at the Tokyo qualifiers and we always beat them, but in spite of that, Daishou still challenges me to a two on two dance off against him. I've never been able to beat him because I've never had a partner until now. Kind of childish, I know. Sorry about that, Tsukki.” Kuroo laughed, placing his hand on the back of his head in embarrassment.

It felt like in that one conversation Tsukishima learned more about Kuroo than he ever did in these past few weeks. He already knew that Kuroo was a huge nerd hiding in the skin of an attractive, perverted high school student, but what he didn’t know was that he too could be fragile and insecure about things, especially something that seemed as petty as this. It was almost amusing until Tsukishima realized that all of those emotions he had been feeling were slowly making their way to the surface. It was embarrassing, and he knew he needed to control himself soon before he made a slip up.

In a way, that whole conversation seemed to clear things up. Tsukishima had been wondering why Kuroo wanted to enter this thing so much but didn't have the heart to ask, it all made since now. He wanted to beat Daishou in a competition that was a little more personal. It was childish, but Kuroo was filled with such determination because of it. It all made sense to Tsukishima now, and he wanted to help him more than ever.

“It’s fine, he seemed kind of annoying anyways.” Tsukishima shrugged, playing it off the best he could.

“Ha! Well you’re not wrong about that. I think he was just disappointed, I usually don’t do impulsive things like that, but I know him, and I know especially if he meets someone new who he finds attractive, he’ll try sleeping with him the first night he can. So, you know…” Kuroo laughed again, and Tsukishima understood entirely what it was that he was implying.

“Well.” Tsukishima almost felt a depressing tone come about him as he spoke. “I really don’t think he would have tried anything like that, most third years don’t tend to mess around with first years, but if it made you feel better, then I didn’t mind it.” Tsukishima looked around the room, trying to find any way he could to sway this conversation. His eyes were immediately drawn to the two people standing near the front, probably the dance instructors. “We should do some warm-ups and get ready, we need to get through the preliminary’s after all.”

Kuroo nodded his head, and there was a slight determined look in his eyes that Tsukishima couldn’t help but replicate. No matter what distracting things happened, they were here for a reason, and that reason was to win.

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter took a completely different direction than I imagined. I didn't expect this to go down the fake dating route, but it sort of did, haha. Well, I think it's cute and it definitely adds some new pressure and anxiety to Tsukki, poor baby! I had a really hard time coming up with outfit ideas for the characters for this, but I still hope they're okay and that you guys like them. I ended up spending a lot of hours just looking through the archives of old dance shows trying to get ideas, haha.  
> I also wasn't quite sure about the Shiratorizawa joke from Ushijima, I just thought it would be a nice funny touch and add some humor to this chapter, so I hope it doesn't feel forced.  
> Next chapter we will get on with the actual dancing part, and maybe a surprise will happen too.  
> The next chapter will also be a lot shorter, so I'll try to get it out sooner too. :)  
> There'a s bit more I want to say here, but to prevent this from looking like an essay, I'm going to shut up now, haha.


	9. Stumble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo and Tsukishima finally perform in front of the judges at the preliminary event, where Tsukishima gets a little too riled up by Daishou's presence.

“You think you can do it?” Kuroo asked as the two of them waited nervously, both mumbling on the sidelines, as they stood in a clutter with a bunch of other people.

Tsukishima had one of his legs stretched over the barre, he could feel his muscles flex as this was becoming something he could do more and more easily. When he first got to know Kuroo at the training camp, lifting himself up onto the pole or even doing the splits was something he had a hard time with, but now he could do it without putting forth any effort at all, it felt almost impressive.

“I should be able to, the dance isn’t anything difficult, it’s more about facial expression.” Tsukishima looked up as Kuroo towered over him as he was stretching, he almost had his signature provoking look on his face as he curiously looked at Tsukishima. And if it wasn’t for the fact that he felt other eyes on him, he may have said something different to Kuroo entirely.

The dance itself was nothing to think twice about, it was just a basic steps clumped together in a thirty-second routine that they’re supposed to teach you in your first year of dance. It was nothing more than a few simple steps, a spin, a twirl, a lift, and a small portion that they would let you improvise. Tsukishima could do it with his eyes closed if he wanted to. Though, he wasn’t one for getting cocky.

The small part towards the end of the routine where people could improvise and do what they wanted, was, of course, where the real judging came in, but Tsukishima still wasn’t worried. Maybe he should be, but Kuroo and him already talked it out and decided they would just do part of their routine that they had been working on. It was nothing more than an additional lift and a twirl.

Normally he should have been concerned about something that happened no less than twenty minutes ago, about the whole fake dating thing with Daishou, but he wasn’t. Maybe it was because Tsukishima was starting to mature, or maybe it was because he was concentrating so much that he couldn’t bother to think about it anymore, it was probably the latter.

The two of them were number eleven when it came to when they would perform. The judging was designed so that five couples would perform the dance at a time, giving each group two chances to perform in case they messed up or there was something that they wanted to correct. Though, there weren’t many mistakes you could make in a thirty second simple routine.

Being eleven meant they were in the third group to go, right after Bokuto and Akaashi, who were up right now. It was hard not to be amazed as they watched the two of them.

“Hm.” Kuroo hummed as Tsukishima shifted his position, watching as they prepared to go up in the next group. It seemed like Kuroo was concentrating on what everyone else was doing.

His eyes drifted from the three serious looking judging, to the bored people watching from the sidelines, to the people preforming on the floor. The second group was doing their second run through of the dance, which meant they were next, but it also meant they were watching other people performing right now, getting a chance to observe them and see what kind of dancing they were doing, and one of those people was Daishou.

Group two pretty much consisted of all of the people who had been past winners, or the people who everyone else was wanting to keep an eye on.

There was Bokuto and Akaashi in the third spot, in the middle spot, with their long eccentric feathers as Bokuto lifted Akaashi up in the air, in an almost majestic way. It was hard not to think back to the training camp, Akaashi’s body was so perfect for ballet, and combined that with Bokuto’s strength, making it easy for him to lift Akaashi up, they were like the perfect team. The two of them easily doing all sorts of unique spins, all with a look of admiration on their faces. It may have been a slight cop out since they were an actual couple, but if the judges were judging just based on facial expression alone, they were sure to move on.

After that there was of course Ushijima and Tendou, the two people Tsukishima had had a brief encounter with before. He didn’t quite know what to expect when it came to them, but from keeping a close eye on their performance from the first round, it was clear that they changed things up each time.

Ushijima was pretty much your basic text book kind of person, all of his movements had precision, almost like he was the epitome of the perfect dance instructor. The only real thing that made him stand out, other than his height and muscles, was the fact that he made of all the dominant movements with his left hand. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, considering your handiness didn’t really effect anything when it came to dancing, other than he did look slightly odd when everyone else would reach out with their right hand and he would with his left. It was probably something that would only inconvenience his partner more than anything else.

Speaking of his partner, Bokuto was right, Tendou was very unique in the sense of his dance style. Tsukishima forced himself to also pay close attention to them as they danced.

The first round was nothing but the basic text book stuff, stuff that probably made people who had never seen them before underestimate them. It was like they let Ushijima decide what to do, a basic spin, a basic jump, nothing out of the ordinary. However, once the second round hit, everything changed. It was like the two of them decided to come alive, letting Tendou decide how the latter part of the routine was going to go.

They seemed to swap out the basic stuff for the more theatrical stuff, a flashy spin with a hand motion, with Tendou jumping high into the air, and Ushijima catching him on his way down. It was over the top, and Tsukishima wasn’t quite sure until now, but the two of them had to have been a couple, there was no way they weren’t. Even if they had been practicing together for years, it took a special kind of bond to be able to do what they were doing, and judging from the look on Tendou’s face, a look of exhilaration, the two of them seemed to have feelings for each other.

Though, Tsukishima wasn’t exactly super concerned about them, outside of the two of them, Bokuto and Akaashi, and even the twins that seemed to win every year, the real people he was concerned with were Daishou and his partner. Though they had never won in any of the past years, Tsukishima was starting to sense some kind of energy emitting from them, dangerous energy, and in a way, it pissed him off. He wanted to beat them and wipe that smug smirk off their faces.

When he was talking to Kuroo earlier, while the first group was performing, he heard him mention that Daishou’s partner was Kuguri Naoyasu, another member from Nohebi academy. He seemed kind of calm, like someone Tsukishima wouldn’t have bat an eye at if he weren’t Daishou’s partner, dosed in just as much green as he was.

In a way, the two seemed to balance each other out, Kuguri seeming almost calm with a lax expression on his face, Tsukishima guessed that he was the kind of person who was keeping Daishou in line with all of the snarky comments he would make. Though, their dance style did seem surprising lax for having someone like Daishou dancing.

Their dance style wasn’t so much about flashy spins and precise movements as much as it was about little tricks and glances. It wasn’t that hard to tell that Daishou was a bit of a suck up, every so often he would drift is longing gaze from looking at Kuguri to look over at the judges table, batting an eyelash or two, it was evident that he was sucking up to them, though it was hard to tell for what reason. Nobody else was doing anything remotely like this, and Tsukishima found it hard to believe that a little stunt like this would work. It still irked him though.

Daishou was good at what he did, so good in fact that Tsukishima wanted to hurry up and have it be their turn to perform, he wanted to wipe that smug smirk off of his face, he wanted to get to the next round with Kuroo.

Tsukishima tried to force himself to only look at his owl friends, who moved so well you would think the feathers on their outfits made them actually fly, you could really tell the emotion on Bokuto’s face, even Akaashi’s face didn’t seem as serious as it normally was, and Tsukishima could only admire it as he knew he needed to channel something like that.

Their movements seemed precious and almost elegant, and the way Bokuto mixed his street style with Akaashi’s ballet really worked to their advantage here. It was almost like they were the only ones in the room right now, and Tsukishima knew that going up against them would be quite difficult in the end.

“They’re pretty good, aren’t they?” Kuroo spoke softly as he stood beside him, Tsukishima broke his stretching stance to straighten himself up as he watched the last few seconds of the routine.

“Yeah.” Tsukishima nodded, though he wasn’t quite sure who he was talking about. He guessed it didn’t really matter that much, Tsukishima was filled with some new determination.

He began to get a new passion in him to dance again ever since him and Kuroo started practicing together at the training camp, but when he had that little encounter with Daishou today, it seemed to ignite something else within him. It wasn’t something that he would call rivalry, but motivation, maybe? It was almost the same feeling he had with Kageyama, but he didn’t completely despise Daishou like he did him, he almost admired the guy, in a love-hate sort of way. He seemed to irk him and push him, a lot like Kuroo did, but in a different sort of way. Tsukishima knew that he could be pretty competitive and he wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug smirk off of his face right now.

Applause filled the room and the people on the center of the floor got off, and Tsukishima felt a slight twinge in his stomach as him and Kuroo got ready to take their places. He could see the supportive grins of Bokuto and Akaashi as they walked past them, of course, he had to catch a glimpse of Daishou’s smirking face too, striking a nerve with him as he thought of the best way to shut him up.

“Break a leg.” He called from the sides and Tsukishima sent a glare at him. He was trying to do everything not to fall into his trap, but given how Tsukishima was acting, it may have been too late.

“Don’t let him rile you up.” Kuroo tried to calm him, resting his hand on his shoulder.

“I’m fine.” Tsukishima lied, maybe he still was a little bothered by the whole fake dating thing from earlier, but he didn’t show it, Tsukishima didn’t show a lot of emotion when it came to this type of thing, he was going to have to change that.

It almost seemed like everything was happening so fast that Tsukishima didn’t get much of a chance to process what was going on. He was supposed to act like Kuroo was his boyfriend for now, which was probably the one thing Tsukishima wanted more than anything at the moment. You could probably say it was too cruel about how things had turned out for the day, but Tsukishima didn’t really have time to think about something like that. there were more important matters at hand, like getting through this round. It didn’t really matter about what feelings he felt or didn’t.

“Just remember what I taught you.” Kuroo spoke from beside him as they slowly began to make their way onto the dance floor. It almost sounded like he was trying to encourage him.

“Okay.” Tsukishima nodded, feeling vague as ever as he tried to focus on what it is he was about to do.

The music started and Tsukishima and Kuroo began to move in perfect sync with each other, moving in time to the music as he felt their hands touch, it was almost a magical feeling, a lot like the one he felt when they first together.

It was only thirty seconds so you couldn’t blame someone for thinking that it went by quickly. Tsukishima was used to doing routines like this, you’re putting so much effort into thinking what the next move is, moving in time to the music, as well as doing facial expressions. This sort of thing can be demanding for something in such a short time period.

Tsukishima had said before that the routine they were expected to learn wasn’t anything to difficult. It started off with a couple basic dance steps, with Kuroo and Tsukishima walking around each other, their hands touching as they would step into a twirl. Kuroo would spin Tsukishima around, their eyes locking for a few seconds as spun him around. It was hard for Tsukishima not to smile as Kuroo blew him a subtle kiss.

He was pretty sure that the emotions Kuroo had on his face were forced right now, well, maybe not forced, but Tsukishima was certain there was no way they could be genuine. Kuroo had a certain glint in his eyes as he looked at him that made it hard to describe. Well, it didn’t really matter all that much, and it wasn’t like Tsukishima had time to think about such things. All he was focusing on right now was the dance, or that’s at least what he was trying to focus on.

When the instructors were first showing them what steps to do, they tried to drill it into everyone’s heads over and over again that their facial expression is what mattered most. It just meant the judges and the people around you would be observing you twice as long, making more assumptions about you and just hoping you’d mess up more. Tsukishima was always used to being criticized because of his lack of motivation, but Tsukishima tried his best to focus on it, so much so that he was starting to wonder if his foot placing was-

_Thud._

It was almost like a flash inside your mind from how fast the room was spinning, one second Tsukishima was jumping, towards the end of the routine, looking at Kuroo, and then the next he was falling until he felt his foot fall out of place from underneath him. He had lost his balance, and embarrassing feat as he tried to regain his steps as quickly as possible. He was pretty sure he was being distracted today, from the flashy outfits to strangers watching him, now to Daishou.

He never really had a problem with people watching him before, but when he was actively trying to do something right and trying to do this for Kuroo’s sake and for his, it added all kinds of pressure on to him. Strange, this really was the first time something like this happened.

The music on the CD player across the room faded out, and most people didn’t notice Tsukishima’s little slip up, it was just a fall, just an accidental twist of an ankle, just him accidentally falling face first into Kuroo’s shoulders. No one would have noticed, but Kuroo did, Bokuto and Akaashi did, and Daishou did.

“Tsukki, are you okay?” Bokuto had to yell when he was only standing a few feet away on the sidelines, and Tsukishima forced himself to hold back a sigh of annoyance. Bokuto had a panicked expression on his face, and Tsukishima needed to remind himself not to get too aggressive right now. He was pissed, but more so, he was pissed at himself for letting this happen.

“Be careful, Tsukishima.” Akaashi added in, a calming voice that seemed to ease Tsukishima’s nerves as he brought his attention back onto Kuroo, who was looking at him with a concerned look as the two of them adjusted their vests. He didn’t notice it until now, but more people were looking at them.

“Sorry, I’ll get it on the second try.” He turned his head to the side, trying not to draw any attention to himself.

Tsukishima normally wasn’t one for messing up or doing something like that, he could count on one hand the number of times he actually fell when it mattered in something like this. Though, up until recently, Tsukishima never really tried when it mattered. He always knew what he needed to do to get a passing grade on anything, he wouldn’t put forth more or less effort than that. If he had entered this kind of competition with that mind set, well, this might have turned out differently. But no, now he wanted to try, he wanted to do this again, and he wanted to actually compete and do this, not only for Kuroo, but for himself.

From what Tsukishima had observed from the other groups performances, they gave them a five minute break in-between dancing the routines, giving people time to talk things out with their partner in case they wanted to change something, it was also a time to talk to others, take a drink of water, or relax yourself. Tsukishima didn’t really want to do any of that, but when he actually thought about all the things that happened today, he should be happy. He was here with Kuroo, wearing the outfits that they both picked out together, he should be feeling confident, to the point where he’s almost smug, but he wasn’t. why? Even Tsukishima didn’t know the answer to that, and that may be what was pissing him off the most.

“Drink?” Kuroo asked as they took a breather, resting by the barre as he offered him his water bottle. Somehow he seemed unfazed by all of this.

“Thank you.” Tsukishima took a sip, calming his nerves again, and this time he could feel himself become softer, relaxed, like he was ready to do this with a different mind set.

He just needed to remember why he was here. Kuroo had no idea how Tsukishima really felt about him, even after the fake dating thing from a few moments ago, but Tsukishima knew that he just needed to channel that energy into emotion and preform it, like he did back at the training camp.

“Sorry, I got distracted.” Tsukishima handed the water bottle back to Kuroo, feeling the cool taste burn down his throat and across his forehead. He didn’t notice until now that both Bokuto and Akaashi were including themselves in on their conversation.

“Say, Tsukishima. If you’re feeling nervous, why don’t you just try to imagine you’re at the training camp again?” Akaashi offered a suggestion, an earnest look on his face.

“What do you mean?” Akaashi always had a certain way of speaking, he was very good at choosing his words and making sure his point got across to you, it was almost scary at times, but Tsukishima was pretty sure he was being sincere about it, like he was giving advice to a friend.

“Well, I’m just saying you should try not to imagine the other people in the room, just dance like you’re only dancing for Kuroo.”

“Dancing for Kuroo?” Tsukishima questioned him again, and both Kuroo and Bokuto were looking at them curiously. It was an odd way of wording it, but Akaashi did have a point, a point that Tsukishima very much could understand right now.

He didn’t have time to say anything else to him as they walked back to the middle of the floor, but Akaashi probably wasn’t the type of person to say anything else in a situation like that. He always seemed like the quiet serious type, he didn’t say much but his words always had meaning and power, and in a way Tsukishima could admire that. It made him seem wise almost.

“Hey, Kuroo.” Tsukishima spoke up softly as one of the instructors walked back over to the CD player, he knew he only had a matter of a few seconds to get out whatever it was that he wanted to say. “Don’t hold back because of me.”

“Tsukki, I-“ Kuroo had a wide expression in his eyes, and Tsukishima wasn’t entirely sure if he surprised him with that, but he was cut off.

The music started up abruptly and he never was able to finish his thought, but there was a certain look in his eyes, a look of determination almost. It didn’t really fit the theme of love, but it was a look that Tsukishima could understand quite well, and he had no trouble mimicking that same expression. Maybe he just intentionally provoked him.

That same upbeat, almost pop-like music started up again, and Tsukishima was sure he was going to hear this song in his head for the next week or so. It was annoying, but not so much annoying that he couldn’t focus on it right now, because all he could focus on was Kuroo.

For the most part, everything was the same as the first time, but it felt different. There was emotion in every beat, in every step, and even when he was turning or looking another way, all he could see was that bedhead. Tsukishima felt power in just the basic stuff, and the way he twirled, the way he clung onto Kuroo, and the way he could feel everyone’s eyes on him, it was so empowering.

Maybe he was just feeling a little over confident right now, but Tsukishima wasn’t second guessing himself anymore, he deserved to be here, and he wanted to try taking on one of the third year dancing captains, and he was going to try.

As he turned another time, out of the corner of his eye he could see Bokuto and Akaashi, and the happy looks on their faces as they watched the two of them. Even Akaashi was smiling as he did so. Though, the real satisfaction of it all was seeing the surprised looks on everyone’s faces. Tsukishima’s ankle was fine, he knew it would be, it wasn’t even a sprain and the shock of the fall was the worst part, but he was pretty sure that wasn’t what they were shocked about.

They were looking at Kuroo and him, and the passion on their faces. Tsukishima knew they pretended to be boyfriends only a few moments ago, but with how they looked at each other right now, most people might have thought they were the real thing. Maybe he was being a little too optimistic, but that may have been the driving force behind Tsukishima’s passion in this moment.

He tried to intentionally look at Daishou as Kuroo spun him around again, it was a small glance, with an almost condescending look in his eyes. There was no real reason behind it, he already said that he didn’t hate the guy, but he could already hear some kind of sly remark coming from him as he fell, and Tsukishima wanted nothing more than to shut him up.

In a way, you could chalk it up to a lot of people underestimating the two of them. They were the underdogs in a sense, the people entering who aren’t even going to the same high school, let alone they are two years apart in age and they didn’t know each other all that well yet. They had several gaps that they needed to get over, and being the people who had practiced the least on their dances didn’t help either. No one really seemed to be paying attention to them, until now that is.

Suddenly it was like everyone cared about them as they watched Tsukishima jump in the air, extending his legs as if he was showing off his height. Even he could see an impressed smirk from Daishou as he spun himself around.

He could hear the ending of the song, he had no less than heard it ten times by now, and both him and Kuroo knew there moment doing this was coming to a close, but more than that their routine was different from the first time. They were both improvising at the end, a lot like what they did at the summer training camp, and it was like they were only dancing for each other.

The way he could feel him lightly touch him through the bright, colorful sleeves of his shirt, and the way he swung him around and lifted him up, it was magical, and Tsukishima swore right now as they only had a few seconds left that he could feel the warmth of Kuroo’s lips from how close their faces were, just like how things were at the training camp.

Kuroo ran a hand up Tsukishima’s body, using his index finger to go from his stomach to his chest, as their other hands interlocked with one another’s. He smiled, almost laughed as Kuroo continued to do that all the way up to his chin, his hips swaying the entire time. And right as the last beat of the song rang in his ear, Kuroo pulled his face up to his and he… he kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, writing this chapter made me realize how terrible I am, like I used to hate writing angst or making Tsukki (or any other character) suffer, but now I'm just like 'what if Tsukki fell'. I'm terrible, I'm sorry, but at least Tsukki got a kiss out of this chapter, haha.  
> I was really struggling with this chapter for some reason, I don't know, I knew what I wanted to do with this chapter, but I found it pretty hard to write, but I hope you guys still liked it, haha.  
> I feel like most of the angst from this story is probably going to stem from injury as opposed to relationship drama, but I didn't want to make Tsukki's injury for this chapter such a big deal, yet ;)  
> Next chapter we will find out if they made it through and we may go back to Karasuno and have some of their rehearsals as well as we'll get to see how Tsukki feels about the whole fake dating thing.


	10. Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima has practice with the Karasuno team, where they get their new dance outfits, and Kuroo makes a surprise visit. Later, Kuroo gets a text from Akaashi, giving him some advice as he tries to figure out what to do about the kiss.

“Hey-o, I will be crashing your performances today.” Kuroo grinned, a huge smile on his face as he leaned his forearm against the open frame of the door to the Karasuno gym. Tsukishima felt like his jaw almost hit the floor with the sight he just saw.

“Was Kuroo supposed to be coming today, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi asked him as they stood next to each other, both of them already donned in their leotards as they prepared to do their pre-practice stretches.

‘No idea.” Tsukishima shrugged, feeling a sudden wave of annoyance wash over him as he walked to the other end of the room where Kuroo was standing.

All the other members of the Karasuno dance who were there were all staring at him. Everyone was gathered around the front entrance, with the door to the gym open wide, letting all the heat from the hot late afternoon seep in. They all looked like a big clump of darkness in their leotards as they crowded around Kuroo, like they were all going to a funeral. Though, Kuroo seemed to welcome the attention, a smile on his face as his eyes scanned over everyone, locking onto to Tsukishima when he began to speak.

“What are you doing here, Kuroo?”

“It’s the first weekend of September, Tsukki. Which means it’s my turn to visit you.” He kept that same grin on his face, tilting his head to the side as if he just said the most obvious thing in the world. “Now, come here and give your partner a hug.” He held out his arms and Tsukishima looked at him perplexed as he looked around the room. Of course, Kuroo had to show up now and do something this embarrassing of all things.

Though, speaking on the time of year, he was right. It was the first weekend of September, school started back up and soon Tsukishima would be forced to manage an even more daunting schedule. The second semester of school was always a lot more difficult than the first, with more homework, more projects, and a lot more strict when it came to grades. If you juggle that with club activities, it was amazing most normal students could manage this sort of schedule, let alone someone like Tsukishima who was travelling every other weekend to practice with Kuroo.

He knew it wasn’t just him who was struggling, this was probably just as much a chore for him as it was for Kuroo. He was in the final stretch of his high school life, and now he chose to practice with some kid who lived three hours away. No matter how you look at it, this is crazy, and Tsukishima knew that, which is why he wanted to question why he was here. Most teachers like to lay on the assignments pretty heavily at the first week back from summer break as it is. Plus, there were also some _circumstances_ that were making Tsukishima hesitant to practice again.

“I know that, but doesn’t Nekoma have practices on Saturday?” Tsukishima scratched the back of his head, trying his best right now to swing this conversation without sounding too surprised, but after the events of the preliminary’s for the couples dance competition, Tsukishima was having a hard time staying calm.

“Coach always lets us have a free practice on Saturday, even Kenma hardly shows up for them, and everyone on our team, except for Lev, is in good shape. Mostly it’s just Yaku and Yamamoto helping him.”

“But you’re the captain, shouldn’t you be-“

“Is that Kuroo?” Tsukishima never got the chance to finish his thought, though, that was probably for the better. He could feel himself get flustered more easily all of a sudden, as Hinata instantly ran over, joining the cluster of people in black that were surrounding the bedhead, and bombarding Kuroo with his usual stammer of hyperactive questions.

“Did you bring Kenma with you?” Hinata looked up at him, his eyes looking all starry as he got excited all of a sudden, and Tsukishima could feel that familiar headache creeping back up throughout him.

“Haha! Sorry, shrimpy.” Kuroo laughed, that same almost hyena-like laugh as he placed his hand on top of Hinata’s head, like he was a full grown adult talking down on a child, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but crack a smile at Hinata’s confused expression. “It’s just me today, Tsukki and I are going to borrow this gym later to practice.”

Tsukishima’s smile quickly turned into a sigh, did he have to tell him that? He wasn’t embarrassed by Kuroo being here by any means, in fact, he knew it would happen sooner or later, but he wasn’t exactly so gung-ho about his other team members watching him and Kuroo dance right now.

He seemed to be able to already hear Yamaguchi’s enthusiasm and Kageyama’s criticism as he even imagined doing it. Because despite everything that had happened with him and Kuroo recently, Tsukishima still hated people making any kind of fuss over him. Hence why having people watch him at the preliminaries messed him up.

“Speaking of practice how did it go? The preliminaries, I mean?” As if he was eavesdropping, Suga appeared out of nowhere and walked behind them, placing his hands on Kuroo and Tsukishima’s shoulders. He had that same, almost patronizing look on his face, like he was a parent asking an almost embarrassing question in front of their child, and Tsukishima felt that if he gave the wrong answer, he would get in trouble for it.

He always had to be careful about his word choices when it came to Suga. Hell, Suga almost gave him a lecture when he found out about Tsukishima being dance partners with Kuroo. Suga didn’t exactly take too lightly to one of his ‘baby crows’ being around one of the ‘scheming cats’. He didn’t quite know how much he knew, but Suga was the type of person that nothing can get passed. He was the kind of person who managed to know every little detail about everyone on the dance team’s life, and that was especially true for the first years. Tsukishima felt like Suga knew his schedule better than he did.

“We made it through, of course.” Kuroo snickered, a happy look on his face that seemed to please Suga. “I wouldn’t be here right now if we didn’t.”

“Ah, that’s good then. I was starting to worry. I hope you know that we also have our own tournament coming up, so we can’t loan out our precious Tsukishima all the time.” Suga’s face was smiling, but the tone in his voice was anything but. It was almost like he was testing Kuroo, and it really made Suga feel like he was the mother of the group.

“Don’t worry, Suga. I’m taking _excellent_ care of your baby crow.” Kuroo shook Suga’s hand off of his shoulder and embraced Tsukishima in a hug from behind, it felt like he went out of the frying pan and into the fire. His back leaned into Kuroo’s chest as he felt his body being lifted off the ground, and the expression on his face said all that needed to be said right now.

Despite saying before that Kuroo’s personality wasn’t exactly what he expected, he still had moments like this when he sounded childish.

“Kuroo, will you let go-“

“You made it to the next round? That’s impressive, Tsukishima.”

“Good job, Tsukki and Kuroo.” The room suddenly become filled with praise for the two of them, probably no doubt from Hinata’s loud voice almost yelling every time he spoke. The next several seconds were consumed by cheers and various congratulations as Tsukishima tried to force a smile and nod as he accepted them.

Kuroo finally let go of him and the two of them stood side by side as if felt like most everyone in the room gathered around them. This was the one thing Tsukishima hated the most, people making a fuss and a big deal out of him. He never stood out, he was never the lead nor the center of attention, but now he was, he was willingly putting himself in the spot light, and he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that. He wasn’t running away, though that did sound like something he would do, but he didn’t have an option to run away by this point. He was already in too deep with Kuroo, if even tried to run away now it would just result in them being disqualified and disappointing Kuroo.

Tsukishima already made up his mind a while ago that he wanted to do this, and wanted to make this year memorable for Kuroo. He didn’t really consider himself to be the most reliable type of person. Hell, up until a few weeks ago, his lack of motivation would have made him more unreliable than anything else, but he’s always been the type of person who would do something if he said he would do it, and that was true even now.

Everyone is put into situations where they were uncomfortable, like how Yamaguchi had anxiety, or how Hinata would hate to mess up and fall. For Tsukishima, he would just have to be put as the center of attention for a little while. Though, he normally wasn’t one for stage freight, so that wasn’t what he cared about, what was really on his mind was if he would be able to handle himself around Kuroo.

Right now, there really was no better time for him to deal with the elephant in the room, the elephant in this case being what happened at the preliminaries.

The two of them really hadn’t spoken since then, outside of their celebrating, which was just Kuroo ordering pizza and a cake, they hadn’t spoke about what happened. He was sure there was no reason to, but he still remembered the look on his face as Kuroo pulled him in for a kiss.

When it came down to it, there was no real reason for them to talk about it. Kuroo had lied, told Daishou that Tsukishima was his boyfriend, the kiss had been nothing more than an impulsive act to help push them into actually competing in this competition. It all could have been explained that easily, but that was the thing though, it wasn’t explained. It felt real and with passion, but the two of them never said a thing about it after that. There was no ‘I’m sorry’ or no ‘thank you’, or anything, there was just silence.

Conflicted didn’t even begin to describe how he felt right now. Even if it was all for show, Tsukishima still couldn’t bring himself to ask Kuroo about it, he thought maybe texting Akaashi, he always did seem to be observant and easily able to pick up on these kinds of things. It didn’t surprise him if he already knew how Tsukishima felt, since he was in the room at the time, but he couldn’t bring himself to. He was still waiting for these feelings to disappear or for Kuroo to do something that was even more obvious. Though, with Kuroo holding him like he had been doing a few seconds ago, it was hard to even imagine these feelings going away any time soon. This wasn’t good.

“You don’t have to worry about me, I won’t get in your way.” Kuroo smiled, him and Daichi had been having a conversation this entire time, while Tsukishima was lost in his thoughts. “I’ll just stand in the back and watch.” Kuroo made his way towards the back of the room where all the school bags were littered. He waved and everyone went on doing their own thing for the remainder of the time, carrying on their own conversations, but Tsukishima made the conscious choice to follow Kuroo.

He placed his bag down and slouched down on the floor. He was just wearing his usual Nekoma sports jacket and sweatpants, but Tsukishima swore he could see his usual t-shirt and leggings on underneath. He didn’t even know what he was going to say to him as he loomed over him, casual conversation? Ask him about their dance routine? Casually bring up the kiss? He had no idea, and more so, he could slowly feel his thoughts making their way to the surface of his tongue. He was a mess right now, a mess with jumbled thoughts and sweaty palms, but he didn’t want Kuroo to know that.

“Hm? What is it, Tsukki?” Kuroo instantly picked up on Tsukishima standing beside him. It probably wasn’t that hard to realize that something was up.

Outside of the training camp, Tsukishima really only hung out with Yamaguchi at practice or at any kind of event, and even with Kuroo being here, it still felt strange to him, almost awkward as he carelessly let his hands fall down to his sides.

“It’s nothing.” Tsukishima frowned at his own response. Saying nothing was what irritated him, but saying what was actually on his mind didn’t seem to help in this situation, and he could feel this presence gnawing away at his brain, telling him to say something that wasn’t so vague. “Actually, about what happened at the preliminaries...”

“Tsukki! Daichi said practice is getting ready to sta-“ Yamaguchi ran over to where they were, a smile on his face as he waved Tsukishima over, and he wasn’t sure if he was happy or annoyed by this certain interruption, but he still turned around and met Yamaguchi with relaxed eyes, maybe he was someone who could help him out with this dilemma. “I’m sorry, did I interrupt something, Tsukki?”

“No, it’s fine.” He shrugged and he now realized he needed to say something else to Kuroo before walking away, but Kuroo beat him to it.

“We’ll talk later, Tsukki. I think we should keep the kiss in the routine, don’t you?” As if he turned the entire conversation around and made every negative thought vanish from Tsukishima’s mind, all Kuroo did was smirk, coy and playful. His voice louder than normal too as Tsukishima now desperately tried to figure out what it was that he meant.

Was Kuroo actually hinting at something right now or was this all just a coincidence? He didn’t seem like the dense type, or at least, not as dense as ones like Bokuto, and no matter how well Tsukishima was hiding his feelings, he had to know that that kiss meant something.

“Is something going on between you and Kuroo, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi spoke politely, like always as the two of them began to slowly join the rest of the members of Karasuno. He didn’t have a response to say to Kuroo, but once again, his expression probably captured all that he needed to say, and he was thankful nobody else could hear what he just said, not even Yamaguchi.

“It’s nothing.” Tsukishima shrugged again, and a part of his brain realized this was the kind of thing that he just needed to tell his best friend, he had a right to know, and maybe there was just a part of him that wanted to tell him, to see his reaction or hope that he had some kind of advice to help get him out of this.

Realistically, Tsukishima had done nothing wrong, but he couldn’t dispel the idea that this was now his problem. Kuroo kissed _him_ , but he was the one that had feelings for him, he may have provoked him and brought this on himself, and even more so, he may have been the one in the wrong here.

“During the preliminaries…” Tsukishima added in, his voice just as quiet as always, making sure he was extra careful that only Yamaguchi could hear him. Though, given how his best friend tends to react to things, he may soon regret this decision. “Kuroo and I kissed.”

“What? Why are you telling me that now?!” A reaction that Tsukishima partially expected from a shocked and yelling Yamaguchi, who had an almost panicked expression on his face. It probably wasn’t the best idea to tell him this sort of thing now, but maybe that just shows how desperate Tsukishima actually was.

“Is something wrong, Yamaguchi?” Of course, Hinata had to be within an earshot of Yamaguchi’s panicked voice, walking over to them with a disturbed expression on his face.

He heard from Yamaguchi in a few text messages conversations that with Tsukishima spending more time Kuroo, that him and Hinata had been spending more time together with regular practices. Tsukishima didn’t think anything of it at first, though between the two of them, Yamaguchi always was more of the social one, the one that went out of his way to makes friends and always had a smile on his face, it was no surprise that he grew closer to Hinata. However, the thought of being surrounded by two loud, almost perky people as Tsukishima gave out details about his personal life, didn’t set well with him. There was no way he was letting Hinata know anything about him and Kuroo.

“It’s-“ Yamaguchi began and Tsukishima swiftly cut him off. In all the years they had known each other, he was never the type to give out any secrets or any information that he didn’t want, but that still didn’t mean he was going to risk it.

“If you say a word about this to him then I will leave this dance team.” Tsukishima kept his voice in that usual annoyed tone as he slowly slid his hand off of Yamaguchi’s mouth. He got an almost laughing nod from his best friend, and a confused look from Hinata as they dropped the conversation. Surely, they would talk more about it later.

“Sorry, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi mumbled out in his usual voice as the three of them joined the others.

They hadn’t noticed it until now, but Daichi and Suga had a giant cardboard box with them as everyone gathered around it. Tsukishima could only imagine that it would be there new uniforms, which somehow pleased him since the old ones were so ugly. Though, it was a bit of an interesting way to start off practice today.

“What’s with the box, Daichi?” Tanaka spoke up first, placing his hands on his hips as he watched Suga cut the seal with a pair of scissors.

“New uniforms. Thanks to coming in in the top twenty and Karasuno’s name slowly spreading as a power house school again, the school gave us a bigger budget for this semester. Since so many of you complained, _not to mention any names_ -“ Daichi was interrupted as an abrupt noise came from his left.

“-First years.” Tanaka coughed out, getting a questionable look from everyone, including the first years. Though, it was no mystery that they complained about the hideous old outfits, everyone despised them, and this was a much needed change.

“-Anyway. Suga and I talked about it, and we thought the best way to make use of the budget was to get new outfits. They’re all in there, and we tried to go with as much of a crow theme as possible. Enjoy.” Daichi smiled and lifted up the seal on the box, letting every dig in and grab one of the new outfits.

Just about everyone on the Karasuno team varied in size in one way or another, so because of that everyone’s initials were written on the tag in the shirt, and it didn’t take Tsukishima long before he found his, mainly because he was the tallest one on the team.

“These are amazing, Daichi. Where’d you get them?” Nishinoya asked as he instantly slipped his on over his leotard, everyone in the room was pretty much filled with excited chatter, and Tsukishima could even force himself to smile as he examined it more closely.

“I found out Yamamoto from Nekoma’s mom was a seamstress, so we paid her to make all these. She did a really amazing job too.”

“So cool!”

“Huh? Tsukishima, aren’t you going to put yours on?” Hinata walked over to him, realizing Tsukishima was the only one not slipping the new outfit over top of his leotard.

“I’ll put it on when I get home.” He sighed, folding the new piece of fabric over in his hands.

He saw the almost disapproving look from most of the people around him. It was the same as when they got their Karasuno sports club jackets, everyone was trying them on and showing them off, while Tsukishima just held his, waiting until he got home. This was a much more bigger deal than that was, and he still couldn’t bring himself to try it on. Some people might have thought he was just embarrassed, but he just didn’t want to stoop to the simpleminded-ness of Hinata.

He hated having attention on him, even in a situation like this, he hated people making a big deal or a fuss out of something like this, but most of all, he was afraid of what expression he would make. It had only been a little over a month or so since him and Kuroo started this whole couples dancing thing, but he already could feel himself changing, softening, he had started smiling more, even Yamaguchi would point out how Tsukishima seemed happier when Kuroo would send him a text, and right now he was afraid of what expression he would make when he tried on the new outfit.

Kuroo was in the room, after all, and there was no doubt that these black clothes on his long, lanky body would get all kinds of remarks from everyone here. He would deal with this later, in the privacy of his own bedroom, and that was that.

“What’s wrong, Tsukishima? You trying to be the cool guy here?” Tanaka spoke almost harshly as he crossed his arms in front of him, like he scolding him. Which was ironic since he always had been the definition of immature when it came to the group.

“No-“ Tsukishima began to retort with some sort of reason, but was quickly interrupted with a barrage of people insisting upon him.

“Ah, come on, Tsukishima. We all should match for the day, don’t you think?” Suga chimed in, that same smile on his face as more people began to chastise in after that.

“What? Come on, Tsukishima.”

“Tsukki-“

“You know…” Kuroo’s voice seemed to be the one that stood out above all else, him cupping his hands around his face and yelling onto the other side of the room, and Tsukishima could feel his face grimace as he listened to his words. “I’d like to see you in the new outfit, Tsukki.” Kuroo winked, that was really all he had to say and Tsukishima could feel himself starting to reconsider.

Tsukishima had changed, there was no doubt about that, but he didn’t change in the way that he intended. He figured that there would be a slight chance that he would become more open around Kuroo. You can’t have someone as your dance partner and not learn things about them, it was impossible, and Tsukishima was well aware for his feelings for Kuroo before he agreed to do this with him, but he never thought something like this would be in the realm of possibilities for him.

He had said it before, but everything changed, and he was even now holding that piece of clothing in hand thinking about trying to on. Hell, it was like Kuroo just made some suggestion and he was almost willing to do it, without question. This was bad, he was screwed, but there was nothing that he wanted to do about it.

Tsukishima looked down at the outfit, holding it up in his hands as everyone soon returned to the same pre-practice conversation. Kageyama was yelling something at Hinata, while Suga and Daichi were discussing what they were doing for todays practice. He couldn’t help but let his eyes dart to Kuroo, who was now standing against the wall with a smug look on his face. He knew he yelled something like that on purpose, he wanted to edge him on and provoke him, and Tsukishima almost forced himself to sigh after realizing he fell once again into one of Kuroo’s traps.

The outfit itself wasn’t nearly as terrible as what they were wearing before, though it looking anything like a crow was a bit of a stretch.

The pants were black, like they should be, with a white belt that almost looked like it could glow in the dark, and pale orange and white stripes over the arms and chests. He didn’t quite see the ‘crow’ aspect of it, but there were a few rhinestones running along it, making it stick out more, and there was a black almost cape-like material sewn into the arms of the outfit, making it feel nice and flowy whenever you moved your arms. It was almost amusing to watch Hinata run around the room with all the excitement he got from doing this.

“Hey, not bad, Tsukki.” Kuroo appeared behind him, looping his arm around his shoulder almost like he was proud of him. He was the very definition of a cat, he didn’t even notice him until he felt him touching him, taking him off guard. Where did he even come from?

Tsukishima was forced to shake him off as he refused to look anywhere near the mirror. Though, he knew it would only be a matter of time before that terrible, smug attitude of his made this conversation into something more awkward.

“Aw, what’s wrong? Are you still shy? Our outfits are a lot more embarrassing that this, you know?”

“Please don’t bring that up. But seriously, what’s with you today?” Tsukishima gave out his signature groan, clicking his tongue as he did so. In a way, it was times like this that made Kuroo truly difficult to deal with. He could be a child with the way he hummed with excitement, and there was nothing he could do to stop him. Well, almost nothing.

“Hm? Nothing, I’m just in a really good mood today, it’s my first time visiting Miyagi and all. Hey, Tsukki, can we talk later? There’s something I want to-“

“-Hey now, what’s this? I thought you said you wouldn’t be intruding in on our practice, Kuroo? Trying to steal Tsukishima away?” Suga walked over to them, he had been doing a lot of talking today, and he had that same fake nice tone in his voice as he wrapped an arm each around Kuroo and Tsukishima. Somehow the tension seemed to get more awkward, as the two of them pulled away from each other. Tsukishima still not knowing why he was sticking so close to Kuroo as is.

“Right, sorry.” Kuroo smiled, a similar fake tone to Suga’s as he rubbed the back of his head. His expression soon turned back to that provoking one as he looked at Tsukishima. “But let’s talk later, Tsukki, seriously.”

 

 

Kuroo Tetsurou made a mistake.

Well, calling it a ‘mistake’ probably wasn’t the right word he wanted to use for it, but even he knew something was up. He had kissed Tsukishima, the tall, beautiful, slightly unmotivated blond from Karasuno, who admittedly had captured his heart.

He didn’t think much would come from this when he made him the offer back at training camp. Bo and Akaashi were already doing the couples dance competition, and though Kenma had no interest in it, he would always say doing something like that sounded like too much trouble. Tsukki on the other hand, seemed like just the type, they both had similar dance styles and Tsukki had a lot more skill than he gave him credit for, it was the obvious choice.

Though that wasn’t the problem here, Tsukki was great and their dance was coming along just fine, this was all because of what Kuroo did, or lack of what he said after what he did. He had kissed him, and more than that, he kissed him and he liked it.

It was normally something no one would have batted an eye at, in the heat of the moment he told Daishou, his old childhood friend and now high school rival, that him and Tsukki were dating. He wasn’t sure what in him possessed him to say it, but he knew Daishou’s type, and the last thing he wanted was for him to get alone with Tsukki, so he did what he had to do, and he wasn’t proud of that, but he had new problems now.

Maybe these feelings had always been there, Tsukki was the kind of person who was naturally cute, he was tall, and maybe his serious face just made him look that much more irresistible, but Kuroo was screwed.

This wasn’t the first time something like this happened, Kuroo always did have a tendency to get flustered around people, he would say whatever stupid comments came to mind, which were almost always perverse in some way. By this point he had made no less than ten passes at him, from things as major as picking out sexy outfits for them to wear, to offering for him to stay the night and telling him he could borrow his clothes. It was like he was digging his own grave, but even more, he couldn’t help it. He was in love with Tsukki.

The thing that made this all the worst was that he had to go and open his mouth again, telling Tsukishima that he had something he wanted to talk about after practice was over, but in reality, he had nothing. He just sort of said it subconsciously. Maybe he just wanted more time with him, but right now he was left with nothing but to watch this person who had captured his heart practice, while his brain tried to come up with a solution to this problem. It was going to be a lot more difficult than he thought.

Tsukki was tall and elegant, and the way his new outfit clung to every inch of his body should have been a crime. Those legs have to be illegal, which was doing nothing for the ‘gentlemen’ façade Kuroo was trying to keep up right now. He was almost a mess right now, but damn those legs.

He watched him as Tsukki said something to his friend next to him, the one with the freckles, Yamaguchi he believed his name was, though Kuroo always had been terrible with names. He tried to read their lips, but to avail, it looked like Yamaguchi was laughing as they did their stretches, and it didn’t take long for Daichi to become the center of attention after that, instructing everyone where to stand and what to do.

He had several thoughts cross his mind as he watched Suga play the music and everyone worked on their routine. His eyes never left Tsukki as he stood near the back of their lineup, that same concentrated expression on his face as he extended his arms and one of his legs out to prepare to do a spine.

He was beautiful, like a fairy with how he had such precise and graceful movements, and Kuroo found himself only wishing he grew up around here, wishing they went to the same school, and wishing they weren’t two years apart. He could already hear Kenma’s voice in his head, telling him not to worry about something he couldn’t change, but still, he wanted to maximize his time with Tsukki. He wanted to go as far as he could in this competition with him, and if things went well enough, he wanted to continue their friendship outside of dancing. It was completely far-fetched, especially given their ages, but Kuroo would even consider going to school in Miyagi if it meant he could see Tsukki some more.

Saying Tsukki had improved was a bit of an understatement. Just watching the way he spun and jumped in mid-air, almost to a split position was impressive, not to mention he was the only one who could jump so elegantly at that height. He was so graceful, and even though the song that Karasuno was dancing to was more of a revenge tune than one about love, he could still see the raw emotion on his face.

Was this pride he was feeling? Or some kind of satisfaction? It’s like his mind was stuck between feeling proud of his pupil, making him smug as he knew he was the one to teach Tsukki these things, and feeling star struck. Just watching him do these things made him want to repeat what happened at the preliminaries, he wanted to kiss him again, and he didn’t know how much longer he could help it.

_Beep. Beep._

Kuroo looked down, reaching his hand into his pockets at the sound of his phone going off. He didn’t know who it could be, maybe Kenma as he was trying to skip out on practice today, he might have been bored and knew he was going to visit Tsukki today.

Out of all of the people that he socialized with, Kenma was one of the few that could always pick up on what was on Kuroo’s mind, he always knew who he liked and what he was doing. He almost served as the voice of reason in their friendship, and it was no surprise that he knew about how much Kuroo liked Tsukki. He never said anything major about it, but you don’t call someone your best friend for years without them being able to pick up on these kinds of things.

However, despite all that, as Kuroo looked at his phone he was surprised to see that it was coming from two other people he was quite close to, Bokuto and Akaashi.

It wasn’t that uncommon for the three of them to text each other on and off throughout the year, Bokuto and him had always been friends since they met back at the first summer training camp they attended, so most of the texting was him initiating it. He got bored quite easily, and until he met Akaashi, it was hard for Bokuto to find someone who was willing to practice any kind of dancing with him because of his high stamina, so that first year Kuroo would help him for a while.

Now that the years have gone by, Akaashi is with Bokuto now and the three of them always keep in touch. It wasn’t that unusual for them to have group text message conversations like this, and ever since Tsukki became Kuroo’s partner, it seemed to only have strengthened the bond the four of them seemed to share. Like they were good friends.

**From Bokuto:**

_Hey bro, u with Tsukki?_

**To Bokuto:**

_Yeah dude, im waitin 4 Karasuno’s practice 2 b over_

**From Bokuto:**

_Sweet. The 4 of us should practice nxt wknd_

**From Akaashi:**

_Bokuto, isn’t that asking too much? The competitions are right around the corner, and Tsukki and Kuroo might not be ready to show off their routine yet._

**From Bokuto:**

_Shit. Ur right. My bad. Tell Tsukki 2 think it over when he reads these latr. The 4 of us should totes hang out again._

Kuroo hummed to himself, something that sounded almost like a laugh. In a time when his mind was running what felt like a million miles a minute, it was nice to the see the lightheartedness humor of Bokuto, who admittedly still texted like a four year old, but it was still a nice change of pace.

Kuroo went back and forth, hovering over the text messages for another few minutes. Now that he thought about, it did feel like a long time since the four of them had hung out together. Even at the preliminaries a few weeks ago, they didn’t get to talk much since the place was already so crowded. And when Kuroo was always paranoid that he was going to say something stupid to Tsukki, it was nice to have Bokuto there to easily change the conversation, or take the fall for saying something stupid.

Speaking of Tsukki, he was still doing his thing, and by _thing_ , he meant still practicing. Still looking like an elegant ballerina as he jumped in the air, moving his body with such poise, he really did deserve to be admired, especially those legs. And Kuroo couldn’t help but think he would admire them all day if only he would let him. Fuck, he was totally screwed right now.

_Beep. Beep._

As if he was having some kind of dejavu, Kuroo pulled out his phone once again at the sound of someone texting him. He figured he could still use some kind of distraction, so he clicked on it without hesitation. This time, however, it was only Akaashi.

**From Akaashi:**

_Have you spoken to Tsukishima about ‘it’ yet?_

**To Akaashi:**

_Whats it?_

**From Akaashi:**

_You know, the kiss?_

One of the main things that was different from Akaashi than Bokuto, was the manner of how they texted. Bokuto was like a four-year-old hyped up on too much candy, while Akaashi was proper, he hardly ever used abbreviations and most of what he typed was spelt out in complete sentences. A lot like how Tsukki typed.

That normally wouldn’t have been such a big deal, sometimes it was nice to read something where you actually understood clearly what they meant, but the thing about Akaashi was that he was observant. He knew things and could easily pick up on things, and one of the things he picked up on was that kiss.

Kuroo already explained the gist of the story from the preliminaries to Bokuto and Akaashi, about how he told Daishou Tsukki was his boyfriend and that was the reason why he kissed him. Bokuto was the kind of dense and unobservant person that he wouldn’t have questioned it after that, and he was smart enough to know not to bring something like that up again, but Akaashi on the other hand was different. He didn’t say it specifically, in texting or face to face, but whenever they talked to each other after that, he had a certain look in his eyes, a look that he knew more than he was leading on.

Akaashi never told him what he thought about it, he never gave him his opinion, or asked him what he was going to do. But Kuroo still got this feeling from him. Akaashi could be pretty vindictive when he wanted to be, he knew he wouldn’t do anything over the top, but he was starting to think Akaashi may have had the slightest idea that he knew about Kuroo’s feelings.

**To Akaashi:**

_No._

_Whats this about owl-fucker?_

**From Akaashi:**

_I told you to please reframe from calling me that._

_There’s no reason behind it, but remember._

_Tsukishima is the kind of person who prefers direct communication._

_If you have something you want to tell him, make sure he understands._

_Anyways. See you next weekend._

There Akaashi goes again, presenting himself almost as if he had some kind of ulterior motive, even when it came to text messaging. Though, they’ve only known each other for about a year and a half now, Kuroo could still tell something was up with him, and he knew exactly what it was. He was hinting at that he knew Kuroo liked Tsukki, and right now, he was getting the feeling that Akaashi was telling him that he should say something. And maybe, just maybe, he actually would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was hard to write only because of the texting. I'm always terrible at figuring out how certain characters would text, so I hope I did all right. When it comes to texting I'm more like Tsukki or Akaashi and pretty much just type out full sentences, I'm like a grandma who doesn't understand modern day texting abbreviations, haha. but anyway.  
> I feel like the little bit we got from Kuroo's perspective was a bit short this chapter, but I still think it's important to know how he's feeling in all of this. There probably won't be many chapters where we get to see his POV, but I still thought it was important.  
> I finally have all of this story outlined now and there's going to be 31 chapters in it, so it's going to be long and I hope I can do a story of this length justice. I'll also be trying to update this story every Friday, so it's probably going to be going on for awhile. I also may try to work on some one-shots so I have some other stuff to upload over the next few months. Anyways, enough of my rambling. Thank you guys so much for your support on this story so far, it really keeps me going and motivates me to work more on this story.
> 
> Next chapter we will see what it is that Kuroo wants to talk to Tsukki about, and Yams may or may not have a few choice words to say to Tsukki.


	11. Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima goes to the changing room with Yamaguchi before his practice with Kuroo starts, where he gets a surprising lecture from his best friend. Later, Tsukishima is forced to make a decision about what he is going to do about his feelings for Kuroo.

“Are you leaving, Tsukishima?” Suga asked as he stood in the doorway to the changing rooms of the practice building, he had a change of clothes in his hand as he smiled at Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, who were standing side by side in the usual manner.

“I’m just going to change into something more comfortable. I’ll make sure to have Kuroo and I lock up once we’re done.”

“It’s not fair that you two get to stay here and have more practice. Kageyama and I wanted to work on our dancing tonight.” Hinata whined, clenching his fists at his side as if he was throwing a tantrum, and if it wasn’t for the fact that Tsukishima didn’t want to put forth the effort, he may have made some kind of retort.

“Now, now, come on, Hinata. Tsukishima needs to practice too. It’s not every day that he shows this kind of enthusiasm for dance. Plus, we wouldn’t want your grades to fall behind now, would we? The new semester just started, after all.” Suga had such a way with words, somewhere between like he was patronizing him and like he was encouraging him. With the way he rested a hand on his shoulder and spoke in that almost calming voice, it always seemed to make Hinata shut up and respect him.

Though, he still hated them talking about him the way that they were. It was almost like they were praising him, and Tsukishima wasn’t quite comfortable with that.

“Well, good luck, Tsukishima. Oh, and don’t forget the first competition for nationals is right around the corner. I know you’re busy with Kuroo, but don’t forget to focus on the Karasuno dance too.” Suga smiled as he shut the door on them, giving Tsukishima and Yamaguchi some privacy. The slam of the door seemed to almost cut through the air as the cool breeze blew past him, sending a chill down his spine.

He decided to take this time to get a few minutes away from Kuroo, and more importantly, spend this time talking to Yamaguchi.

“Okay.” Tsukishima nodded, and returned his attention to what he was doing, though Suga had already left the room and he didn’t know who he was talking to by this point.

In a way, you could say practice with Karasuno went just like it always did, outside of them getting new outfits today, which seemed to energize everyone for the rehearsal. It was the same warm-ups, song, and focusing on overall weak points in the dance. It was normally something that wouldn’t have been a big deal, Tsukishima always knew what he was doing, most of the time it was just Suga or Daichi changing little things, saying there was something new that they wanted to add in or try out. There whole goal for this dance was to make everyone feel included, and focus on everyone’s strengths. Tsukishima knew that, and even he knew it came as no surprise that they wanted to focus on him jumping higher.

Ever since he started practicing with Kuroo, he became almost like a pristine ballerina. He became the highest jumper and even he knew he looked elegant as he did so. Though he never thought he stuck out much, being at the center of attention, even for a few seconds, left this uneasy feeling in him, even if he didn’t show it.

It wasn’t that he hated what he was doing, a part of him felt some sort of pride in being able to dance like he was, with such passion in him like when he was a little kid again, but he still hated being the center of attention.

It seemed worse today than usual, Tsukishima never really got nervous, even when he did the preliminaries with Kuroo recently, nerves really never got to him. The reason he fell down was because he got distracted, his mind was filled with so many thoughts and he couldn’t focus on the routine, but today was a lot different than that feeling. Maybe it was just because Kuroo was here watching him, sitting in on Karasuno’s practice, but a part of him felt almost awkward, like he knew that Kuroo wouldn’t take his eyes off of him. He knew he would see every jump, every spin, every little move he made. It almost made him feel like he was under a microscope. He couldn’t say that he hated it though.

There was a part of him that liked Kuroo, but after kissing him it felt like it was more than that. He could still remember the taste of his lips on Kuroo’s, the almost lip-gloss-like texture as they pressed their lips together, and even now when he was dancing, it was like he was competing for Kuroo’s attention. He wanted him to see nothing but him, and even he knew he was screwed with having thoughts like these.

It started out as something similar to a crush, just some flirting and thinking the person he was training with was cute, but now it was so much more than that. He had kissed him, now Tsukishima wanted more, he wanted to kiss him again and dance with him again. He wanted these feelings to stop, but at the same time he wanted them to keep going. He was screwed, and he knew there was nothing he could do to stop it.

“What did you want to talk about, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi asked as he pulled his jacket over himself, fully changing out of his leotard in the small room.

It was your basic club room, with a few shelves, lockers, and some extra dance supplies in it. Usually no more than five people could fit in there at a time, which most of the time was never a problem, since everyone usually arrives for practice at different times, but after practice was when it usually served as a problem. It was always crowded with everyone wanting to get changed and go get something to eat, except for Hinata and Kageyama of course, who always wanted to practice more. Tsukishima was usually used to just walking home in his leotard so he didn’t have to deal with something like that.

Right now, Kuroo was waiting for him in the practice gym, probably playing with his phone or something. Tsukishima told him to wait for him there, he knew it wouldn’t take him long to change out of the new Karasuno outfit and into his usual t-shirt and leggings (he got used to wearing leggings from being with Kuroo), so he knew any time he would have to talk to Yamaguchi would be short.

Even if you walked a slow pace, it wouldn’t take you anymore than ten minutes to get from the practice building changing rooms to the gym. He didn’t have time to beat around the bush right now.

“I kissed Kuroo, or well, we kissed each other during the preliminary thing we went to last month.” He almost pouted slouching over against the wall of outside the practice building changing rooms as he waited for Yamaguchi to exit. The sun was just now starting to set, and it somehow made the off gray colored paint look almost green against the light.

“And?” Yamaguchi spoke with an almost oblivious tone, like he was saying it wasn’t much of a big deal, and Tsukishima couldn’t decide if that pissed him off or if it was something he expected.

He shrugged, realizing he didn’t have time to question why he was being so nonchalant about all of this. “We also pretended we were fake dating and-“

“What?” Out of all the things he had to yell and freak out about, it had to be that. Honestly, that was probably the more believable part of what happened that day.

“Why is that the part that you react to?”

“I’m sorry, Tsukki, you hadn’t told me that part, but I don’t see a problem with that. You like him, right? And if he kissed you, that must mean he likes you too. If I were you, I’d just tell him that I liked him.”

“Maybe, but it’s not that easy, what if-“

Maybe Tsukishima was a bit of a negative person, well there was no doubt about it, he was a negative person. Whenever he went to the tournament with the Karasuno dance team last season, he went in there with low expectations, he didn’t expect to do well and in return, they didn’t. Before the training camp he didn’t expect to make any changes, and up until that moment, he didn’t. He thought that he could suppress his feelings for Kuroo, that it was just a crush and it would go away in time, and because of that he had no intentions of telling him how he really felt.

He knew that kiss meant nothing, or more so, he wanted to believe that kiss meant nothing. He already knew this, but there was something scary about coming to terms with something like this, maybe it was just the fear of rejection or ruining something that was already good, but even if all the signs were there, even if he knew how Kuroo felt, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He had other options, and he was determined to hold out as long as he could.

“Tsukki! Are you getting negative again?” Yamaguchi stopped in his place, stopping the two of them at the bottom of the stairs of the changing rooms. He stood right in front of him, shorter, with his legs spread shoulder width apart, and his finger out like he was scolding him.

Tsukishima couldn’t help but stare at him with this dumbfounded expression. Out of all of the time Yamaguchi and him knew each other, he would only ever raise his voice to get his point across. It was a new side of him, and Tsukishima wasn’t sure if he should feel proud of scared. What do you really do in a situation like this?

“Don’t you dare think about running away!” He added, still with that same yelling tone in his voice. He was starting to rival Suga with the levels of this lecture.

“Run away? What are you talking about?”

“I’ve been your best friend since we were kids, I know you, Tsukki. You’re always so cool. You have perfect grades, both girls and boys can’t help but like you, and you’ve always been the best dancer I know. But I know you, Tsukki. I know your personality tends to push people away, you tend to run away at the first sign of something like this. You always try to keep up this calm, cool face, but I know you, I know you’re freaking out on the inside, you’re feeling conflicted. You really like Kuroo and don’t want to lose him, so you’re playing it off like it’s no big deal, but I know how you really feel. I guess what I’m saying is, don’t run away! At the end of the day, all we have is pride, so don’t run away, Tsukki!”

Tsukishima felt his entire self become speechless. How was he supposed to react to something like that? It was like all this raw emotion was just pouring out of Yamaguchi, he even reached forward and grabbed around the collar of his shirt as he yelled. It almost felt like Yamaguchi was giving some kind of performance.

He was right though, Tsukishima knew he was right, and he couldn’t quite tell what he was feeling right now, something between annoyed and determined. He had no intention of running away from Kuroo, but even with being determined, how does someone bring something like that up? He knew that Kuroo didn’t feel that way towards him, and nothing was going to change that, maybe he could tell him when the competition was over and they wouldn’t be seeing each other again, but he couldn’t foresee either one of them continuing to dance with each other if they knew how he felt.

“I see. If that’s how it is then.” Tsukishima pondered for a moment, he knew it wasn’t a good idea to make decisions irrationally like this, and if he didn’t think carefully then both of them would get hurt. What was he going to do?

“Tsukki, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“ And just like that, Yamaguchi was back to being his usual, polite self. It was like he did a complete 180 twice in the course of a few minutes.

“No, it’s fine, Yamaguchi. I understand what you meant, but I hope you know I can’t do something like that now.”

“But Tsukki-“

“I’ll be fine, Yamaguchi. I just can’t confess something like that now, it’s too risky.” Was this the definition of running away? Tsukishima wasn’t sure, most of the time running away would involve actually avoiding the person you’re running away from, but in this case, he was avoiding the whole situation, ignoring it, pretending that it didn’t exist. Even he knew doing something like this wasn’t healthy, but he couldn’t bring himself to do anything but this right now.

“You should head on home.” Tsukishima’s tone returned back to his usual one as they reached the bottom of the stairs, it was his normal calm tone, it was like he was acting like that entire conversation never happened, well, part of that conversation anyways.

“Okay, Tsukki, sorry for saying something weird.” You could hear the disappointment in his voice, not from Tsukishima telling him to go home, but from the way Tsukishima was acting in general. His personality made him borderline on being a terrible person, he was aware of that, but it wasn’t like there was any way they could stop anytime soon. He was hopeless, and more so, he was hopelessly in love with Kuroo.

He took a moment to watch Yamaguchi walk in the opposite direction as him, heading towards the school gate, with that same almost skip in his step. He was probably the only person in the world who was used to Tsukishima’s terrible personality, and because of that, he was no longer fazed by it. He probably had a smile on his face right now, getting ready to go home and eat something warm before going to bed.

In a way, Tsukishima envied him, he wasn’t simpleminded like Hinata or Kageyama, but he was carefree, usually not bothered by anything and always supportive, and Tsukishima always found qualities like that were something to be admired.

He made his way to opened doors of the gym Kuroo and him would be practicing at. To his surprise, Kuroo was already doing his warm-ups, sitting down on the floor and stretching out his legs. He smiled up at him as soon as he looked up.

“Tsukki, is everything alright?” He jumped up off the floor, meeting him face to face as they both stood in the doorway.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“No reason, I just heard you and your friend yelling outside. I thought maybe you got into a fight.”

“We didn’t, everything’s fine. How much of that did you hear, exactly?” Tsukishima felt himself almost freeze in place, this wouldn’t have been the first time Kuroo walked in on him and Yamaguchi talking about something like this, but the thought of Kuroo overhearing their conversation wasn’t the most comforting thought right now.

“Not much, something about pride?”

“Oh yeah.” Tsukishima sighed, relieved as he finally felt like he could relax. “He was just giving me a pep talk.” He half lied, though it was technically true, it wasn’t not true either, and Tsukishima didn’t have time to dwell on making a believable story for Kuroo right now.

“That so?” Kuroo smirked as he followed him to the other side of the room, he seemed oddly fascinated by the lack of there an expression on Tsukishima’s face. “Oh by the way, did you see the texts? Bokuto and Akaashi want to have a joint practice next weekend, well, it was mostly Bokuto, but he says he’ll make us snacks!”

Tsukishima calmly went over to where his bag was and put his new Karasuno outfit away, he changed his shoes into his more ballet flats as he listened to Kuroo go on.

Normally he wasn’t the type of person who would keep his phone on him during practice, mainly because his leggings, his leotard, and the new Karasuno outfit don’t have pockets built in. Sometimes he would check his phone when Daichi and Suga would give them a break, but other than that, anything that happened outside of the practice rooms, he was clueless about. But sure enough, when he pulled his phone out of his bag and checked it, there they were, a group chat conversation between the three of them, with several messages from Bokuto.

He didn’t bother reading them all, he knew it would take too much time, and his mind was a little occupied with other thoughts right now to think of something like that. He knew it would be no problem though, in fact it would be nice to be able to practice with more than just him and Kuroo. Plus, Bokuto was miraculously a great cook. It was a hidden talent of his, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but feel surprised the first time he tasted some sweets he baked.

“Sounds like fun.” Tsukishima shrugged, and he almost cringed with hearing those words in his lax tone of voice. There was something about him saying the word ‘fun’ that didn’t set right with him. Maybe it was just because his words were sincere but he knew no one would believe him.

“Fun?” Kuroo asked, almost as if he was on cue and Tsukishima could tell that he had a hard time holding back his laughter as he pried, resting his hands on his hips.

“What?”

“Saying fun doesn’t sound like you, Tsukki. I would have thought you would say hanging out with Bokuto again would be a headache.” Kuroo laughed, sounding like a hyena, and Tsukishima had a hard time also keeping a straight face. Kuroo was funny when he wanted to be.

“Well, I’m not all serious.” Tsukishima shrugged once again, thinking that is something that a serious person would say. “Anyway, wasn’t there something you wanted to talk about, before we start practicing and all?”

Tsukishima’s mind may have been a little out of focus from the heat, even in Miyagi the late summer weather wasn’t forgiving, but he was certain Kuroo mentioned something about wanting to talk earlier, and he couldn’t help but having his mind instantly wander to the kiss. Though, maybe this was the kind of opportunity he needed to tell Kuroo how he felt, because despite everything that just happened with Yamaguchi, Tsukishima still knew that he needed to tell him.

“Ah about that…” Kuroo smirked, an almost embarrassed expression as he rubbed the back of his head. He averted his gaze, so it was hard to tell what that look in his eyes was, but Tsukishima was getting the sense that he was a little bit scatterbrained today. “You remember how I got kind of impulsive back at the preliminaries with the whole ‘fake dating’ in front of Daishou thing?”

So, it was about that. Well it came as no surprise to Tsukishima, he felt like this was the kind of thing Yamaguchi warned him about, and he could already feel his emotions starting to come out as he bit his lower lip.

“Yeah. What about it? We kissed but it was all for the fake boyfriends thing. The theme was also love anyways, and it wasn’t like it was my first kiss.” A lie, a blatant and obvious lie.

Kuroo had two years of experience on Tsukishima, with school, with dance, and with romance. Well, Tsukishima was still pretty young, as far as most people are concerned, but when most people imagine their first kiss, it’s probably something more romantic and slow, not something impulsive and fast. If he hadn’t been in such shock from messing up and it just happening, he may have had a different reaction to it entirely. But no, instead it made him fall even harder for Kuroo. It was like a drug by this point, and he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“No reason, just wanted to make sure you weren’t bothered by it, and-“

This was the turning point, and Tsukishima knew it could go either one of two ways. He asks him to continue with the fake boyfriend’s thing just until the end of the competition, just until he graduates, and then they go their separate ways. Or he tells him something else, that he’s sorry, and that it won’t happen again, an answer that Tsukishima didn’t want right now.

Before, he was perfectly content on not telling Kuroo anything, he would just keep this little secret crush inside of him, letting it forever be one sided, but at the time he didn’t think that he could fall for Kuroo the way that he did. He didn’t know it was possible to like someone this much, and as he raised his head up off the floor, the look on Kuroo’s face was one that he would never forget. How was he supposed to have rational thoughts when he was looking at him like that? It was impossible, and it only took a matter of seconds before Tsukishima’s thoughts came bubbling to the surface.

“-I like you, Kuroo! I always have, I’ve had a crush on you ever since the training camp!” It was hard to look him in the eyes right now, and for the first time in his life Tsukishima Kei felt like he was actually yelling, his voice shaking the walls as he could see Kuroo’s dumbfounded expression from the corner of his eyes.

Well, it was too late to go back now. Either Kuroo would have to be the kind of person who would be okay with dancing with someone who liked him, or it would end here. Also, Tsukishima was sure this would be the first and last time he liked someone, regardless of the outcome.

“Tsukki-“

Neither of them were crying per se, but his face felt tight and red, like he was certain he was about to. Even his legs felt stiff, unlike him considering he should still feel loose from practice. It was like he couldn’t move, like he was forced to talk, and forced to let those thoughts continue bubbling up, as his brain tried to find a way to salvage this conversation.

“Sorry for saying something weird, I can understand if you don’t want to do the competition anymo-“ It was like two sides of his brain were fighting over what to say, one way telling him to apologize, while the other was telling him to go on. Even he didn’t know what he should do, so he just let his mouth move on its own.

This all felt so unlike something he would do, though maybe that was the thing that made it so surprising. He was desperate, and Tsukishima hated that feeling, but even he knew what he hated more was holding all these feelings inside of him. He snapped, just like what happened to him the first time Kuroo and him danced together. He was almost an entirely changed person now, and it was all thanks to Kuroo.

“Tsukki!” Kuroo repeated himself for what felt like the third time, and Tsukishima noted that he was being oddly quiet right now. Maybe he was speechless, or maybe there was another reason, but it didn’t feel like Tsukishima fully snapped back into reality until he felt those strong arms wrap around him. Those same strong arms that had been lifting him and twirling him these past few weeks were now holding him.

“I have always liked you, Tsukki.” Kuroo spoke again, softly as he whispered it into his ear, and Tsukishima felt his eyes widen as tears began to fill the corners of them. For lack of a better word, he was happy, and Tsukishima didn’t quite know how to express that, so he just stood there, letting his arms casually fall on top of Kuroo as he continued talking.

“I’m the one that wanted to get closer to you, after all. I never thought you would be the one to confess to me, though. I was just going to apologize and say that we only have to keep up the fake dating thing around Daishou at the competitions. I was even going to offer to have us stage a break up when everything was over. Haha!” Tsukishima couldn’t tell if he was trying to make him laugh or if he was just that awkward right now. Well either way, it didn’t matter that much, because Tsukishima still forced himself to crack a smile.

If he was thinking right, right about now Tsukishima should have been trying to process the thought that what he felt for Kuroo wasn’t one sided at all. He actually liked him, he was holding him right now, not in a dance pose or anything, but actually holding him, one hand remained around his back while the other pressed tightly against his face, caressing his cheek. He was happy, and more than anything, he was turning to his old self again, snarky, and even smirking as he placed a soft kiss on Kuroo’s cheek.

“Idiot! You didn’t have to offer to do that, I already had an idea you liked me.”

“Huh? Really?” Kuroo gasped, removing his hands with one swift motion as he took a step back.

“You talk in your sleep.”

“I do? What do I say?”

“You said that you liked me, I thought it was all a dream though. Huh. Guess it was true.” Tsukishima shrugged, almost talking to himself as the whole flow of the conversation changed. “So, does this make us boyfriends now or something?”

“Damn, you changed back quickly, but if you want. I gotta take you on a proper date first, though. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t at least, do that?” Kuroo placed his hand on his chest, and the two of them laughed together, this was probably the most awkward string of circumstances ever when it came to asking someone out.

Both of them seemed almost panicked as it happened, and now they were back to normal, with Tsukishima being almost sarcastic, and Kuroo provoking him, edging him on. Though, it seemed like it was almost essential for them, he couldn’t picture himself making a big deal out of it after the initial confession, and as for Kuroo, well he had a sweet side to him too.

“That won’t be necessary.” Tsukishima spoke softly, almost feeling a twinge of shame as he turned his head to the side.

“Nonsense. We can do it next weekend, we can go on a double date with Bokuto and Akaashi. We can do it on Friday night and work on our dancing on Saturday. What do ya say?” Kuroo pried and Tsukishima could feel his face once again get close to his own, and his eyes were looking at him with an almost longing look in them. Now how could he say no to that?

“If you want.”

“Is that a yes?”

“It’s a maybe.”

“Oh, come on, you can do better than that~” Kuroo cooed in his ear as he ran a finger through his hair. Tsukishima almost felt like he was begging right now, and somehow he didn’t mind it, so he decided to seize this opportunity and move forward, planting his lips on Kuroo’s gently, it was the first time he had ever been this impulsive.

“It’s a yes.”

“Great! We can start at the station at say… six-thirty? I’ll text you the details, and tell Bo and Akaashi.”

“Works for me.” Tsukishima didn’t really have a right to be picky about something like this, though this wasn’t the kind of thing that he would normally be picky about. For the most part he trusted Kuroo, and if he was going to take him out on a date, then he was going to let him.

As if Kuroo was satisfied, he leaned forward, running his warm index finger a crossed Tsukishima’s chin. It was almost in the same manner of how their kiss at the preliminaries went, but this time it felt more real, with more force, and for a moment Tsukishima forgot they were technically supposed to be dancing right now.

“But I must say, it was quite a surprise, seeing you confess to me like that.” Kuroo grinned as their lips departed, and Tsukishima could feel his breath grow short. It was just a kiss, just a small peck on the lips, but to him it felt like it was so much more than that.

“Drop it.” He almost scowled, he really wasn’t the type for this mushy stuff.

“Ah, come on, don’t be embarrassed, you’re so cute.”

“I know you think that’s a compliment, but it’s really not.”

“Really? Not even from your boyfriend?” He almost grimaced as Kuroo teased as he reached down and grabbed his hands, leading him towards the center of the room, and Tsukishima almost followed him without question. “Oh, come on now, don’t make that face. Let’s work on the new lift I wanted to try, okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To start things off I want to say that I hope this chapter doesn't feel forced in any way, I spent the longest time deliberating with myself on trying to decide if Kuroo and Tsukki should confess now or later. Sometimes I wish I had someone beta this story for me just for the sole purpose of giving me advice when I'm stuck like this.  
> I think maybe with me just getting off of a story where Kuroo and Tsukki didn't confess until the end of the story may have contributed to my decision, but I still hope this chapter doesn't feel weird.  
> I also wanted to add in Yamaguchi's famous pride speech into this somehow, I like making him the voice of reason in all of my kurotsuki fics. I feel like Yamaguchi's speech mixed in with Tsukki's lack of experience and slightly flustered personality when it comes to romance is what pushed him over the edge and got him to confess. I remember reading something on tumblr once about someone saying they thought Kuroo in high school would be a bit flustered and dense when it comes to relationships, and that he wouldn't be the one to confess. So I wanted to incorporate that into this story.
> 
> Next chapter we will have the double date with Bokuto and Akaashi, and be prepared for all cliche stuff, because I'm a sucker for cliche things when it comes to dates. also things might turn slightly sexual. ;)


	12. A Competitive Date (E)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima and Kuroo go on their double date with Bokuto and Akaashi, where they go bowling in a two vs. two competition, and Akaashi proposes an interesting outcome.

“Tsukki! You’re here! I missed you and we brought cake!”

“I just saw you a few weeks ago, Bokuto.”

“I know, but it feels like it’s been so long. Here you go.”

Bokuto smiled as Tsukishima forced himself to break away from his usual bone crushing hug as Bokuto handed him a cake in a white plastic box. There was even a bright red ribbon tied on the top of it. Tsukishima couldn’t help but smirk as he stared at the two of them across from him and Kuroo. It wasn’t his usual condescending smirk he would use with Hinata and Kageyama, but a genuine one, almost like he was smiling, as close of a smile as he could muster up right now.

For the most part, you could say that he was happy, though happiness had always been a difficult emotion for him to express. It seemed out of place for him, the thought of smiling and walking into practice with a cheery look on his face didn’t quite seem right. He tried to remain as serious and focused as he could during school, even with the new high amount of texts Kuroo would send him throughout the day, constantly asking him what he was doing, what class he was in, and what he had for lunch. It was to the point where he thought it was almost annoying with how much he pestered him, though he couldn’t complain. It was a nice distraction, and he would be lying if he said he didn’t reply to his messages almost instantly.

It was even to the point where Yamaguchi said he looked different. He told him as they were walking to the practice building together that there was a look in his eyes that made him seem happier than usual. Of course, Tsukishima dismissed it at first, giving him the usual ‘shut up, Yamaguchi’, but now he was starting to think he was right. Everything seemed to be going well, everything went just as they planned, especially when it came to today.

They agreed to meet at the station, right around six-thirty, with Tsukishima getting on the train as soon as he was out of school, and Bokuto and Akaashi would meet them right outside of the station. He had no idea what to expect when it came to this ‘date’ thing Kuroo had planned. He thought it would be something along the lines of a cheap dinner at one of the local restaurants and then a movie, but now he was starting to think it might be something different. Well, Kuroo said that he talked the ideas of this over with Bokuto and Akaashi, so it wasn’t like he could come up with something unimaginable with them helping him, or at least, with Akaashi helping him.

Tsukishima hadn’t been around them for very long, but he knew Bokuto’s date ideas were pretty weird, most of them involved going to a zoo to pet the owls or watching some owl documentary. By this point it was pretty well established that Bokuto had an undoubtable obsession for owls, even going as far as to do his hair like it and have owl buttons on his school uniform and school bag, but that wasn’t the point right now.

Bokuto and Akaashi stood across from Kuroo and Tsukishima, the two of them wearing their Fukurodani school uniforms, with the gray jackets and the blue and white striped tie, Bokuto’s looking messier than Akaashi’s, of course.

Tsukishima wasn’t sure what he should wear, but since he was coming here as soon as school was out for the day, he opted for just his Karasuno school uniform. The all black uniform seemed to make him stick out a little less as he was on his way over. It had never occurred to him before, but this was his first time seeing both Nekoma and Fukurodani’s school uniforms, since at the training camp everyone was already in practice gear. Though, the one that he didn’t account for was Kuroo.

He knew Nekoma’s colors were white, red, and with a little bit of black, but was something so generic supposed to look this good?

It might have just been the traditional black vest mixed with his natural black hair, but it almost looked good on him, combined with the white shirt and black and white striped tie. Maybe it was the effect of seeing their uniforms for the first time, but it was different, and Tsukishima couldn’t say that he hated it.

“What?” Kuroo asked calmly as he took a drink from the soda he had in hand. He had gotten it from a nearby vending machine that stood next to the four of them on the sidewalk only a few minutes ago.

“Nothing, it’s just that I’ve never seen you in your uniform before, that’s all.” Was Tsukishima staring?

He didn’t mean to, but his eyes began to wander, from looking at the sign outside of the bakery that was behind Bokuto and Akaashi, to looking at the buttons on Bokuto’s uniform jacket, to then eventually looking at Kuroo. He couldn’t take his eyes off of him, and he couldn’t help but feel like a love-struck school girl. Ugh, there had to be something wrong with his brain right now.

“I’m surprised you managed to make it here, Tsukishima. Is Karasuno on break this week?” Akaashi spoke calmly, the same as always. He always had that look in his eyes, like he was observing them and making some kind of judgment. It wasn’t a terrible look, but it always made him look like he was up to something.

“Ah, about that.” Kuroo smirked, like he had an idea or a plan, “I talked it over with Karasuno’s captain. Since he knows the competition is coming up soon, and he wants Tsukki to get as much practice as possible, he pulled some strings and let him off of his classes tomorrow.”

“Ah.” Akaashi nodded, satisfied, and Tsukishima couldn’t bring himself to ask if Fukurodani and Nekoma had the weekend off. One of the perks of the three of them going to school in Tokyo was that they got certain weekends off, ones that Miyagi didn’t, and by the tone in his voice, Tsukishima was guessing this may have been one of those weekends.

He had a lot on his mind throughout the day, with school and thinking about this double date tonight and all, and Tsukishima almost completely forgot that it was a Friday. It was like his brain was just operating on its own by this point, but he did technically have school tomorrow. Prior to this he guessed that the plan would have just been to either miss a day of school or travel back and forth an extra time. One of the many downsides of it being summer and them not living close to each other.

Tsukishima would have to make a mental note to thank Daichi when he got back to school on Monday. Though, he had this sinking feeling in his stomach that it wasn’t just Daichi that had something to do with it. Daichi wasn’t exactly what you would call the observant type.

The four of them stood in front of the bakery that was right across from the station, it was only a short walk away from Nekoma’s school, and an even shorter walk away to the Kozume dance studio, which was where they agreed they would have practice at this weekend. Though, as far as sleeping arrangements, Tsukishima still wasn’t sure about that.

Throughout the week, they kept a group chat going about what they were going to do this weekend, and Bokuto instantly proposed the idea of having a ‘sleepover’, saying the four of them could stay over at his house and share his bedroom for the weekend. Tsukishima didn’t know how that was going to work, but it was an idea that didn’t exactly sound the most comfortable. Four teenage boys, all of which being tall, large, or muscular in some way was never going to work out all in the same bed. Tsukishima was amazed they even humored the idea for a little bit.

“Oh!” Bokuto beamed up, an excited expression on his face as he sprung up, “We talked it over, and we’ll be staying at Akaashi’s place this weekend. His parents are out of town, and so is his older brother.”

“You have an older brother, Akaashi?” Tsukishima couldn’t stop himself from asking. He would say that he knew quite a bit about Kuroo by this point, but when it came to Bokuto and Akaashi, he didn’t know much. They hadn’t really spent much time together, and even though they talked through texting, he knew nothing about them. Maybe this would be a good opportunity to get to know them better.

“Mhm.” Bokuto nodded his head up and down, almost looking like a little puppy as he eagerly answered for Akaashi, getting an almost disconcerted reaction out of him. “Akaashi’s parents have to travel a lot for work, so they’re not home this week, and his older brother is at university, so he isn’t home either.”

“Bokuto…” Akaashi’s face turned a subtle shade of pink, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but think it was cute. It was a rare sight to see Akaashi flustered like this, like he was embarrassed of Bokuto giving out this information with a proud expression like he was.

“Hm. So, it’s all settled then. Akaashi’s house isn’t too far away either,” Kuroo smirked. almost looking like he was pondering something, “Well then, shall we get going, Tsukki? We have a date to get to.”

“Okay.” Tsukishima looked down at the sidewalk. He felt his voice sounded more disinterested than it actually was, maybe it was just a habit, but he would be lying if he said a part of him wasn’t looking forward to whatever it was that Kuroo was planning for tonight.

“Oh, come on, you can show a little bit more enthusiasm than that.” Kuroo pried, smirking as Tsukishima could feel his breath hitting against the side of his neck. Why did Kuroo have to be the kind of person to embarrass him like this in public, especially in front of Bokuto and Akaashi?

Of course, he couldn’t say that something like this wasn’t expected. Ever since he met Kuroo, he knew that he was the type of person who loved to embarrass him. He liked to do things on purpose just to get a reaction out of Tsukishima, it was a part of his provoking nature, and this was no different. All Tsukishima could do now was try to grin and bear it, which that in itself was going to be difficult.

“Though, you’re still cute when you’re all pouty, so it’s all fine to me.”

“Kuroo-“ Tsukishima instantly snapped his head up. How was it possible for someone to say something so mushy like this? And in public of all places?

Though, any retort he had was instantly cut off, as soon as he brought his head up he was met with Kuroo’s lips pressing against his. A short kiss, a small peck on the lips. It was planned, and Tsukishima could already see that little devious look in his eyes as their lips departed, and was that strawberry flavored lip balm he was tasting?

“Ooh, Kuroo just stole a kiss.” Bokuto chimed like a little school kid, a childish and immature tone in his voice as he laughed.

Once again, Tsukishima thought about retorting but couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he looked up at Kuroo, expecting some kind of reaction out of him, but this time he may have gotten more than he bargained for.

“Don’t worry, that won’t be the first kiss I steal tonight,” Kuroo winked, and Tsukishima felt that familiar chill run down his spine, “Come on, let’s go, I have a lot planned for us this evening.”

 

 

 

“Ta-Da! Here we are!” Kuroo sang out, extending his arms in front of him as Tsukishima, Akaashi, and Bokuto stood behind him, two of them with questionable expressions on their faces.

“This is a bowling alley.” Both Tsukishima and Akaashi spoke in unison, giving each other a blank stare as their boyfriends had proud looks on their faces. It was like Kuroo and Bokuto were presenting some kind of project they were really proud of it, but in the end Akaashi and Tsukishima couldn’t understand what it was at all.

“Ah, come on, don’t say it like that, Akaashi. Me and Kuroo worked hard on this!” Bokuto whined, a look of defeat on his face as he clenched his fists at his side.

“You helped with this, Bokuto?”

“’Course I did. Kuroo wanted to take Tsukki on a proper date, he asked me, and we decided on this place. It’s in a back alley behind a mall, so a lot of people don’t come here, and weren’t you just saying the other day that you wanted to go bowling, Akaashi?”

“I did say that…” Akaashi had a discomfited expression on his face as he gave a half smile, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but think this whole scenario was kind of hard to imagine.

Akaashi didn’t really give off the cute bowling date type of vibe. Though, maybe the reason he didn’t was exactly why he was so into it. You wouldn’t know it from looking at the two of them, but Akaashi was actually the dominant one in the relationship.

Tsukishima had only spent a little bit of time with Akaashi and Bokuto when they were in any kind of romantic setting, but from what he saw, Bokuto was the one who was at Akaashi’s beck and call. He would always look like a little puppy dog around him, begging for his attention, and Akaashi was always the dominant one when it came to affection. He would touch Bokuto first, kiss him first.

He didn’t want to say anything, but one night at the training camp he happened to see the two of them sharing a passionate kiss as he walked by the showers before going to bed. It wasn’t anything that anyone else would have bat an eye at, but Tsukishima could tell from how his hands were touching him, that it was all Akaashi.

“See, it’s fine then!” Bokuto yelled, pulling Tsukishima out of his thoughts and Bokuto looped his arm around Akaashi’s shoulder as he slowly started to pull him into the door. Tsukishima was left with no choice but to follow behind them with Kuroo.

“Is it really okay to be going to a place that’s in the back alley like this?” Tsukishima forced himself to ask the obvious.

This may have only been one of about five times he had been to Tokyo, and despite how safe it usually was, this did sound like a terrible set up for a mugging. Though, maybe right now he was just looking for excuses to be hesitant. Tsukishima wasn’t nervous, but there was an almost uneasy feeling in his stomach as him and Kuroo pushed on through the doors. He didn’t want to immediately dismiss it as him just being nervous being on a date and all, but it was hard to imagine there would be any other cause for it.

“We should be fine.” Kuroo smiled as he placed his arm on Tsukishima’s shoulders, giving him an almost inquisitorial look as he did so. It was like he was asking for permission before he touched him like this. He just gave him a nod as he continued, “Lev’s the one who told me about this place. He said he comes to a nearby café here, so I don’t think we have anything to worry about. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you, Tsukki.” Kuroo winked again, and Tsukishima had a hard time hiding the bemused expression on his face.

How could someone be so considerate one second, and then so deviant the next? Well, it didn’t really matter that much, Tsukishima had already well established that Kuroo had a sweet side to his perverted personality, and it wasn’t like he hated it, so he knew it was fine. He was actually starting to find himself enjoying it. So, he let himself fall comfortably back into place, leaning his head on Kuroo’s shoulder as they continued to catch up with Bokuto and Akaashi.

Honestly, the whole place looked like something from the seventies or eighties that never got updated. The floor was this tacky shade of royal blue, with various yellow and green shapes splattered all over the carpet, even with a disco ball and bright blue and purple lights near the lanes. It almost smelt like walking into a supply store, with that scent of air freshener immediately clouding your nose the second you walk in, and if it wasn’t for the smell of Kuroo’s sweet cologne, Tsukishima feared that he may have passed out right then and there. Out of all the places Kuroo could pick, he had to pick a place like this. Figures.

Towards the back wall of the place there was a section by the front desk with bright neon signs. It had some disgruntled, twenty-something year old behind the desk. He looked just about as thrilled to be here as you could imagine, and racks of red and green bowling shoes filled the shelves behind him. Looking at him, he seemed miserable. This isn’t the kind of place that a lot of people come to, and sure, a job is still a job, but even Tsukishima found a place like this to be unenjoyable. What was Kuroo thinking?

Tsukishima looked towards the front of the area, where Bokuto and Akaashi were. Both of them seemed to have already gotten their shoes as they waited by the small sitting area of red couches and chairs in front of the lanes.

They were arranged in an almost perfect circle, with Akaashi sitting down as he started typing away on the electronic machine that sat by him. He figured he was entering in their names, and a rack of colored bowling balls started dispersing themselves from the machine. Bokuto instantly picked out a white one as he started motioning for the two of them to come over. Of course, Bokuto just had to pick lane number four, his favorite number, as he reminded them all so often in text messages.

“No bumper lane?” Kuroo teased as he snickered at Bokuto. It was almost hard to believe that the four of them were the only people here.

“Hey!” Bokuto yelled out almost as if he was offended, “You’re the one who’s going to need the bumper lanes, Kuroo.”

“Is that so? Well then, I accept your challenge. Let’s have a two v. two tonight.”

“Huh?” Again, Tsukishima felt that same flabbergasted expression on his face.

Now probably wasn’t the best time to mention it, but he had never bowled before. When Kuroo told him he wanted to take him on a date, he thought it would be the whole cliché dinner and a movie sort of deal, maybe even possibly karaoke, or something that didn’t require any real skills. The only real experience he had with bowling was watching his older brother play a bowling video game once with his friends, and there was no way that would help him in this kind of situation right now. This was almost as traumatic as taking someone swimming on the first date before asking them if they could swim, and now they were adding some kind of competition into it? This was a terrible idea.

“Don’t worry, Tsukki,” Kuroo placed his hand around his shoulder once again, this time in a more comforting manner as he had a look of confidence on his face, “I used to be pretty good at this in middle school. There’s no way we’ll lose!”

“That’s not-”

“Well then, it’s settled!” Bokuto interrupted him, without giving Tsukishima a chance to respond.

This may not have been as traumatic as swimming, but Tsukishima still didn’t want to do it. He was a dancer not a bowler. How was he even supposed to pretend that he was good at this?

“Wait, the losing team has to do something.” Bokuto added in, and this time he turned to Akaashi, expecting him to agree with him.

“Fair enough.” Kuroo shrugged, and he had a look on his face as he was pondering something for a minute. For some reason, Tsukishima felt like he was invisible, “Well, since we’re staying at Akaashi’s house, it would only be fair for him to come up with the punishment.”

“Okay.” Without hesitation, Akaashi stood up, almost like he was prepared for this, and Tsukishima didn’t like that look in his eyes.

He noticed it, he was sure he did. He noticed how uncomfortable Tsukishima felt right now, about the bowling thing. He could probably tell that he had never done it before, and that he was ‘nervous’ about this whole date thing. He knew that the look in his eyes was Akaashi reading him. It was the same look he saw in them at the training camp, almost like he was smiling and plotting, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but think the worst. This whole day wasn’t exactly going at all how he planned.

“How about the losing team has to sleep naked with each other? None of us are single so that should work, right?” There it was, that devious look in Akaashi’s eyes as he smiled at Tsukishima, and once again, he knew what he was playing at.

It was pretty obvious, but Akaashi wanted to bring Kuroo and Tsukishima closer together. He knew that the two of them liked each other, and even with them dating now, it still felt like there was some barrier that they needed to cross. Just like Yamaguchi said, Tsukishima runs away, and even though he wasn’t physically running away from Kuroo, quite the opposite actually, he was still not fully there emotionally. Maybe he was subconsciously building the relationship up that way just in case things didn’t work out, just in case after the competition is over that him and Kuroo break up.

He knew Kuroo was going off to university soon, and his schedule would get all the more hectic after that. If he didn’t devote himself fully emotionally, then there was a lesser chance of him getting heartbroken. That’s just how it was, and even though Bokuto and Akaashi were technically in the same boat, it felt different because they were only one year apart, as well as they lived close to each other. Long distance relationships have always been hard to deal with, and he didn’t know how well he could handle seeing Kuroo next year, with Karasuno’s practices and all that. He was holding himself back emotionally, but it was on purpose.

“I like it! Cute _and_ perverted, just like my Akaashi.” Bokuto sprung up and kissed Akaashi on the cheek, that same look of contentment never leaving his face, “You guys okay with that?”

“Fine with me,” Kuroo smiled, and Tsukishima just shook his head, since he couldn’t bear to admit what he knew Kuroo was going to say next. Just when he thought he would never have to recall this memory again, “Though, I’ve already seen Tsukki naked, so it’s not very rewarding. Well, I get to sleep with him so that’s more than enough for me.” Kuroo planted a light kiss on his cheek, and Tsukishima could feel his face heat up, from the kiss or from the memories, he wasn’t sure which.

“You’ve seen him naked! Have you two already _done it_?!” Bokuto had just about the reaction he was expecting, yelling so loud the entire city could hear them. Tsukishima gave him a glare telling him to keep his voice down. He didn’t even have time to process what Bokuto was saying, because it felt like his mind was moving so fast.

“No, no, it’s nothing like that,” Kuroo waved his hand in the air, like he was trying to calm him down, “At the summer training camp, the two of us just so happened to be in the showers at the same time, and Tsukki’s towel accidentally fell off. It was cute.”

“Can we please stop talking about thi-”

“Akaashi! We need to sleep together naked tonight now too! I’m jealous!” Bokuto directed his attention towards Akaashi, a look on his face somewhere between determination and envy. Akaashi seemed somehow unfazed by all of this.

“Alright, if you say so, Bokuto.”

“Haha, ah, you two never change.” Kuroo laughed in amusement as he turned his back towards the three of them, making his way over to the desk to get some shoes. “I’ll get us some shoes, Tsukki, what’s your shoes size?”

“Twenty-six.” Tsukishima shrugged, and he knew that was his last opportunity to get out of this. He was in this for the long haul now, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.

He walked closer to the sitting area, where Bokuto and Akaashi were, lightly running his hands over the smooth, marble surface as he picked out a ball. He didn’t mean to, but he chose one that was black with white speckled dots. It felt almost as light as a feather as he picked it up, but then again, maybe that was a good thing. He couldn’t help but hear a slight hum from Akaashi as he turned around.

“So, it’s your first time, Tsukishima?” He stood up to meet him face to face, with that same look in his eyes that almost made Tsukishima feel uncomfortable.

“Something like that.” He averted his eyes as he replied, and he was getting the feeling that Bokuto wasn’t listening to the two of them talk at all.

“Well, then it’s no big deal if you lose, right? Kuroo has already seen you naked, so it should be alright if Bokuto and I win?” He smirked, and Tsukishima knew just what it was that he was doing.

Though it wasn’t on the same level as Kuroo’s, Akaashi was trying to provoke him, try to get him to be motivated to not lose, even if it was his first time doing something like this. Technically, he had no reason to not try, Kuroo said he was good, but Bokuto and Akaashi never mentioned anything about their skill level. He was just already assuming they would lose, and even he knew he shouldn’t think like that.

Maybe it was just Yamaguchi’s voice in his head, but something in him wanted to win right now. He wanted to win for Kuroo, and more, he wanted to wipe that smug smirk off Akaashi’s face. He was a friend, but that still didn’t mean he shouldn’t try.

“Oh, I have no intention of losing.” Tsukishima’s smirked, and he could see that look dwindling in his eyes.

“Good, because neither do we.”

“I’m back, did you miss me, Tsukki?~” Kuroo cooed as he smiled at him, presenting him with two pairs of the matching bowling shoes, both of them having the same hideous green and red stripe down the side of them. They looked almost like an ugly Christmas tree ornament.

“Kuroo, I have a confession to make,” Tsukishima snapped up, he didn’t know what got into him all of a sudden. The fighting spirit? That seemed like a reasonable answer, though it was probably Akaashi’s provoking more than anything else, “I don’t know how to bowl, so you’re going to have to teach me, so we don’t lose.” Again, he wasn’t sure what got into him, but he reached forward and grabbed a hold of Kuroo’s arms, almost like he was begging. He felt kind of desperate right now, but he couldn’t say that he hated this feeling.

“Tsukki. Who would have thought that you could be this cute?” Kuroo teased, and he was beginning to already regret his decision. “But okay, I’ll teach you. For a kiss?” Kuroo placed his hand on Tsukishima’s chin, rubbing his lip with his thumb, just like he was coaxing him into following him.

This was dangerous for both of them. Kuroo was looking just as beautiful tonight as always, and now that the two of them were dating, it felt like there were no boundaries when it came to anything physical. He could kiss Kuroo now whenever he wanted and it wouldn’t feel weird. Though, the same could be said for him.

He had thought it before, but Kuroo was quite more experienced than he was. He didn’t know just how much self control he had, and if Kuroo were to kiss him passionately, he may have let him. And the way Kuroo was looking at him right now, it was very dangerous, but that still didn’t stop him.

Tsukishima kissed him, another small peck on the lips, but this time he decided to forcefully let his lips linger there, like he was teasing him. It was only an extra second long, but he knew it would mean everything to Kuroo. He got the feeling that Kuroo was being cautious of him, both physically and sexually, because despite how unrealistic it sounded, Kuroo actually was a gentleman from time to time. So, this was his way of saying that he didn’t have to be so careful around him, and if Kuroo wanted to kiss him, then he should.

“Tsukki, another kiss like that and we may just have to cut this date night short, ya’ know?”

“Whatever. Just teach me how to bowl, please?” He tacked on that ‘please’ on the end there. He figured without it he sounded too much like an asshole, and Tsukishima had always been aware of just how rude he sounded.

Despite everything, he was actually in a good mood right now, and he wanted Kuroo to know that, so much so that he was even willing to apologize for his sometimes rude remarks.

“Tsukishima’s up first.” Akaashi added in as Tsukishima stepped up to the line, with Kuroo only a few feet behind him.

He allowed Kuroo to place his hands around his own, like he was guiding him. He placed one hand on top of Tsukishima’s right hand, which was on top of the ball, whilst his other hand laid on Tsukishima’s hip, resting it there as if he was steadying him.

“Okay, take a deep breath and swing your arm slowly, try to let go of the ball right as soon as it comes to the line. You have two tries, so don’t be nervous.”

Tsukishima nodded to him. As he felt Kuroo still keep ahold of him,  he slowly began to swing his arm. There was something that felt almost seductive about this. It was subtle, and no one would probably think twice about what was going on, but the way Kuroo carefully touched him, and the way for the first time tonight he didn’t make a pass at him, almost made Tsukishima want to do this more. It was like the two of them were concentrating, not on each other but on bowling, or at least, that’s what it was probably like for Kuroo.

For Tsukishima, it was just like he was concentrating on dancing, on the movements in his arm and the position of his legs. It was just like dancing in the sense where he couldn’t see the ball or the other people right now, but he could see _him_ , only him, only Kuroo.

“Not bad, Tsukishima.” Akaashi tilted his head to the side, as he looked past both Kuroo and Tsukishima to see the lane in front of them.

He didn’t know what he was expecting the first time, maybe for it to fall straight into the gutter part, but he managed to hit some of them. Albeit, only four of them, but it was still better than he expected.

“Not bad for a rookie.” Kuroo teased him, and Tsukishima had a subtle thought cross his mind.

He probably knew just as well that he could handle doing this on his own from now on, he always had been a fast learning when it came to these kinds of things. Or he could ask for him to help him one more time. It seemed almost conniving and evil, like it was an unfair advantage they had over Bokuto and Akaashi, but maybe they actually stood a chance at winning this thing after all.

“Kuroo…” He spoke softly, turning his head to the side as if he was too embarrassed to meet him face to face. “Could you help me again?”

 

 

 

“Sorry we lost.” Tsukishima felt apologetic as he turned towards the wall.

“Don’t worry about it, I had fun. Did you have fun, Tsukki?”

“It wasn’t the worst date, though it’s a bit embarrassing with this outcome.”

“You mean being naked? I don’t mind it. You have a cute butt, and this way we’re all nice and warm.”

“Can you please not say such embarrassing things while I’m trying to sleep?”

Tsukishima could say what he would, but this truly was the icing on top of the cake on a very awkward day. Though, there was nothing they could really do about it. Who would have guessed, even with Tsukishima’s ‘beginners luck’ that it was a hidden talent of Bokuto’s to be good at bowling? He was perfect, he rolled strikes every time, and even with Kuroo they never stood a chance. So, all that was left for them to do now was to accept their fate.

Akaashi’s house was surprisingly pretty big. He didn’t mention what his parents did for a living, but it had to have been something important. It seemed like they had more guest rooms than the Karasuno practice building had changing rooms. It would have made it no problem at all for each of them to have their own bed to sleep in tonight, but no, Kuroo and him were stuck sleeping _like this_.

Bokuto established a rule that as soon Kuroo and Tsukishima would enter the bedroom that they had to strip, sleeping naked with each other. It probably wouldn’t have been such a big deal, now that Kuroo had already seen him naked he really didn’t have anything to hide, but he didn’t account for how small the bed in this bedroom happened to be. Seriously, did Akaashi tell them they could use this bedroom because it had the smallest bed on purpose? It was starting to seem that way, and Tsukishima didn’t know what to do with himself, with parts of him feeling _parts_ of Kuroo at this late hour.

His glasses were off and the room was dark, so he was pretty sure he couldn’t see anything even if he wanted to, but that still didn’t mean he couldn’t feel anything.

The bed was so small that he was forced to sleep with his back against Kuroo’s chest, feeling his breath beat down on his skin as Kuroo wrapped his hands around his stomach, and don’t even get him started on what their legs were doing right now. He swore it was impossible for two people’s bodies to be entangled this much.

Still, he couldn’t say that he hated it. Kuroo was warm, and despite the uncomfortable sleeping position, Tsukishima was a cuddler, and Kuroo was just the type of person who would enjoy something like that. So, maybe Tsukishima was unintentionally nuzzling his back into Kuroo.

“Ah, come on, are you shy?” Kuroo cooed in his ear, and he swore he could feel him rubbing his stomach with his hands from underneath the blankets. “Mhm. Hey, Tsukki.”

“Yeah?” Tsukishima turned his head to the side slightly. He didn’t know what it was exactly that Kuroo was going to say next, but he was having trouble falling asleep, as one could imagine, so he wouldn’t mind listening to him.

“Hey, Tsukki. Do you ever do it, ya’ know, when you’re alone, by yourself?” Never mind. Tsukishima immediately regretted his decision.

“We are not having this conversation right now.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t you ever get turned on by the thought of me?” Kuroo reached around with one of his hands and touched Tsukishima’s face, positioning the two of them so they were now facing each other. “The two of us are completely naked right now, you can’t seriously be saying that you don’t want to look at me down there, and touch me. You can’t be saying that you don’t want to do these kinds of things with me. Because I know I have of you.” Kuroo leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead, and in this moment Tsukishima felt himself become truthful.

“Maybe just a little.”

“See~ so we should-“

“We are not doing it in Akaashi’s house!” Tsukishima was forced to raise his voice as he sat up on the bed, pulling the covers off of the two of them. Was this conversation seriously going in this direction right now? It wasn’t like he didn’t want it, but here seemed like it was a little sudden.

“I’m not saying we have to do it. But as your dance partner, and as your boyfriend, I can offer help with other things besides dancing. So, if you want to we can-“

“-This is just your way of saying you want to do sexual things without sounding like a creep.” Tsukishima forced himself not to roll his eyes, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in the recent turn of events. His body was feeling hot all of a sudden, it was worse than usual, but was it because of this?

“Maybe.” Kuroo smirked again, reaching over to the small nightstand that was to the left of the bed and picking up Tsukishima’s glasses. He placed them firmly on his face as he slid the remainder of the cover onto the floor. There was also a small lamp on that same nightstand that Kuroo flicked on, giving the two of them some light as everything in the room came into focus. “But it looks like you’re hard too.”

“Am not.” Tsukishima pouted, though it was a discernable lie. You didn’t have to be someone experienced with sex to know what that felt like to be aroused.

“Don’t lie. You’re my boyfriend now, so I can recognize these things about you.” Kuroo leaned forward, placing his hand on Tsukishima’s knee as the two sat side by side, facing each other, and he placed a short, sloppy kiss on his lips this time.

It didn’t feel as slow or as soft as the others, this one was messy, their lips not meeting perfectly, and Tsukishima could taste the pizza on him as a slimy trail of saliva left their mouths. He could feel his face turn red as he let out a sharp breath. Since when did kissing feel this good?

“Hey, Tsukki. Can I… you know?” Kuroo asked politely as he moved the hand that was on Tsukishima’s knee to his face, lightly caressing his cheek, his finger tickled him as he tried not to blush.

“If you want.”

“Oh, come on,” Kuroo repeated that for the third time tonight so far, it was starting to sound like his catchphrase, “You know, Tsukki, if you want me to touch you, you can just tell me. We can probably be just about as loud as we want. I can guarantee that Bokuto and Akaashi are doing worse things than this in the next room.”

“Okay, that is something that I am not talking about!” Tsukishima snapped up again. It didn’t matter who you were, but the thought of two people you knew having sex with each other in the next room didn’t sit well with anyone, and Tsukishima especially didn’t want to imagine what they were doing right now. These walls were pretty thin.

“But okay...” Tsukishima softened his tone, given how he just about begged Kuroo to teach him how to bowl tonight. He guessed this was the next step up from that. He wasn’t ashamed or anything, probably because the feeling in him right now was too much for him to ignore, but it was almost like he was looking forward to it, “I want you to touch me, Kuroo. Please?” There he goes feeling desperate again, he hated whatever look he was making on his face right now.

“My, my. What’s this, Tsukki? Begging me? This is getting dangerous. But as your boyfriend, I can’t refuse such a cute request.” Kuroo smirked, kissing him again in another one of those sloppy kisses, slowly letting one of his hands make its way down to him.

“Mhm.” A groan-like noise came out of Tsukishima, and he instantly reached to move and cover his mouth with his hand. Kuroo didn’t even do anything other than touch him, and he rapidly felt his whole body jolt. It was a new sensation, and he wasn’t quite sure if it was good or bad.

“It’s okay, don’t be scared.” Kuroo almost reassured him as he took his hand off of his mouth with his free hand, “It always feels like this at first. Here.”

Kuroo started to slowly guide Tsukishima’s hand over to his chest, letting Tsukishima rub his fingers against Kuroo’s stomach, letting him slowly work his way down. Kuroo’s skin was soft, and Tsukishima swore he could feel every part of his body tingle as he felt his abs. He was so toned, and this almost didn’t feel real. Was he really doing this with Kuroo right now? It was almost hard to believe, and saying that he felt happy didn’t even begin to describe it.

“Tsukki, you should touch me too.” Kuroo cooed, his breath hot and shaky, and Tsukishima could feel his legs start to shake when Kuroo touched him again.

He was being gentle, or at least, he was trying to be gentle. When it came down to it, Tsukishima knew more than what he was leading on about something like this. He was a teenage boy, and Kuroo wasn’t the first attractive person he had ever seen. Tsukishima had an internet connection, so he did his research. Though, Kuroo was the first person to make him feel this way. When the thoughts ran through his mind earlier, about various things they could be doing tonight, _this_ never crossed his mind.

When it came down to it, Kuroo and him didn’t know anything about each other's sexual habits, so Tsukishima didn’t quite know what to do with his hands.

He tried to mimic Kuroo, letting one hand roam across his open chest, touching his sweaty muscles, and even venturing more north and letting his fingers get entangled in his hair. All while his other hand continued to stroke him _down there_. Tsukishima wasn’t even sure if he was doing it right for Kuroo, but he couldn’t resist the urge to dip his head in and kiss along his oh so perfect jawline. He figured he must have been doing something right, because Kuroo let out a moan when he tightened his grip on him.

“Tsukki-“ He mumbled out, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but feel satisfied at that.

Kuroo was the older one between the two, so logically he should have been the one to be considered the ‘dominant’ one, but right now it felt like it was the opposite. Tsukishima was doing what he wanted, what he felt was right, while Kuroo was being gentle. Though that was probably for good reason. Even Tsukishima knew there was a very slim chance that if Kuroo did to him what Tsukishima was doing to Kuroo, that he wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.

“K-Kuroo.” Tsukishima tried to force his lips to be sealed tight, but in the end even he gave out when he felt Kuroo slowly slide his thumb over the tip. So much for Tsukishima taking on the dominant role this time.

Kuroo gave him that usual devious smirk, something that was telling him he was waiting for that, and it was instantly like Kuroo took control. Tsukishima’s arms felt just as frail as his shaking legs did right now, as Kuroo kept one hand continuing to work on Tsukishima, while the other reached around and held him close. He almost felt bad since he wasn’t touching Kuroo like he was before – almost.

“Kuroo I-“ Tsukishima tried to mumbled out the words he wanted to say, but it didn’t work. He closed his eyes as he took in a sharp breath, feeling as though that might cool him off as Kuroo continued to move his hand back and forth. It didn’t work.

Kuroo moved forward and kissed him, with Tsukishima’s breath returning to a heavy pant. His lips felt so good as they pressed against his own, sloppy and wet like it was before, but this time it was more than just a kiss.

Kuroo licked Tsukishima’s lips as he gained entrance into his mouth, licking over his tongue and leading it, almost like the two of them were dancing, and Tsukishima finally brought his arms back up to touch Kuroo again. It was only slowly running his fingernails up and down his chest, but it seemed to do something. It seemed to get Kuroo to react, making the pace of his breath match the pace of Tsukishima’s, and his whole body felt like it was going to explode.

“Kuroo! Fuck!” Tsukishima tried to repeat himself, getting more words out this time, but it was no use, it was too late.

“Hm.” Kuroo smirked, almost like he was satisfied, and Tsukishima felt himself collapse on the bed. Was it supposed to feel that good? “You lasted longer than I thought. You have incredible perseverance, Tsukki.” Kuroo winked and he reached over to that same nightstand, pulling out a tissue.

It was a good thing Akaashi already prepared in advance for this type of stuff. Thinking about it, Akaashi probably planned for something like this to happen, the look on his face was too suspicious for him to not plan something like this. He couldn’t complain too much about it though, because in a way, Tsukishima was grateful. Of course, he could never tell Akaashi that. He would probably even have a hard time admitting to Kuroo that he liked the events of tonight.

“Can you please not say things like that right now?” He groaned as he took off his glasses, reaching his arm around the small space around Kuroo and placing them on the nightstand. He let his face smoosh against the pillow as he let Kuroo clean him up.

“You don’t have to put up a fight. You were so cute tonight, Tsukki.” Kuroo teased. Tsukishima lifted his head up off the pillow and he could see Kuroo cleaning himself up too. He walked to the other side of the room and threw the tissues away, and Tsukishima realized now was the perfect opportunity to say something. Maybe he was starting to open up more and more emotionally.

“I had fun tonight. With the bowling and the _this_ , I had fun. Thank you, Kuroo.” That sounded way too mushy and he knew it, he could practically already hear the retort coming out of his mouth, but he didn’t care, because Tsukishima actually felt sincere when he said it that time, and if Kuroo was going to tease him about it, then that would be just fine.

“You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you? With being all sincere like that. You’re way too damn cute, Tsukki.” Kuroo ran back over to the bed, literally, and instantly cupped Tsukishima’s face in for a kiss, it was another one of those small, little pecks, but Tsukishima was starting to appreciate those.

“What was that for?” Tsukishima turned his head to the side, blushing.

“Just a goodnight kiss.” Kuroo smiled, he was starting to look just like Bokuto with the whole ‘lovesick puppy’ thing, as the two of them laid side by side on the bed. “We should get some rest now, we have practice in the morning. Goodnight, Tsukki.”

Tsukishima closed his eyes and smiled to himself. Tonight truly had been eventful, and there was only one other thing left for him to say right now.

“Goodnight, Kuroo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really long but really fun to write, I'm such a sucker for cliche date scenes, so I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter.  
> I really enjoyed writing flustered Tsukki and a slight evil Akaashi, I always like to picture Akaashi as a slightly devious person, haha. Also, I fear that the sexual scene was a bit boring, but dont worry, I wanted to ease into any kind of explicit scenes this story will have, and there will definitely be another sexual scene somewhere down the line. Considering Tsukki's age for this story, I wanted to take things slow for his relationship with Kuroo.
> 
> As always, thank you guys so much for your support on this story, it really keeps me going and keeps me motivated to continue this. And a big thank you to my beat reader for making this chapter that much better. <3
> 
> Next chapter we will get back to some more dancing, where we'll learn a bit more about Bokuto and Akaashi, as well as maybe Tsukki will open up a bit more.


	13. Holding Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima and Kuroo head off to have dance practice with Bokuto and Akaashi, where Tsukishima learns a bit more about them and gets some advice about his dancing.

“You’re late! Me and Akaashi were waiting.” Bokuto instantly chastised Kuroo and Tsukishima as soon as they walked in through the door, crossing his arms in front of his chest with a disgruntled expression on his face. Though, it was more of a fake expression.

“Sorry, we overslept, and had to get breakfast.” Kuroo smiled, placing one of his hands in front of him like he was apologizing, though it was fairly obvious from the tone in his voice that Bokuto was only joking. The two of them always did love to tease each other like this. Of course, Kuroo wasn’t exactly rushing to get over here in the morning.

“How are you feeling, Tsukishima?” Akaashi asked as Tsukishima walked away from Kuroo, placing his bag down at one side of the room, preparing to put on his dancing shoes.

“What do you mean?” He looked up at him with a questionable look, although he was certain he already knew what he meant.

Akaashi was the type of person who never did anything without reason. He was clever, observant, and could always pick up on every little thing, but more than that, he was cunning, almost vindictive. Of course, you wouldn’t know that unless you really saw the look in his eyes. Tsukishima knew just what it was exactly that he was getting at, what it was exactly that he was really asking him.

“I just heard a lot of noise coming from Kuroo’s and your room last night. I was just wondering if you two were okay. You didn’t actually have to sleep naked together if you didn’t want to. I figured it must have been uncomfortable sleeping on such a small bed, that’s all.” He smirked, and there was no use hiding it anymore.

When it came to how Tsukishima was feeling, his body ached, especially his neck and legs. Though, that was probably just from the uncomfortable sleeping position. In reality, everything felt mostly fine. His eyes felt heavy and he was a little sleep deprived, but him and Kuroo didn’t _actually_ do anything last night, at least not in what Akaashi was probably thinking. So, there was no reason for him to not feel fine. Outside of a slight tingling sensation whenever Kuroo touched him, he didn’t feel anything at all.

Though, Tsukishima knew fairly well that they would be dancing today, and the last thing he wanted to do last night would have been something that hindered his dancing.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Tsukishima got up off the floor from putting on his shoes and proceeded to walk past Akaashi.

Akaashi didn’t seem like the kind of person who would pry into things if he knew someone didn’t want to talk about it, so he wasn’t expecting him to ask him again. However, maybe this time it was Tsukishima who couldn’t leave it alone.

“Though, we didn’t even do anything, not what you’re thinking of at least.” He didn’t know why he said it. Tsukishima never was the bragging type or the type who wanted attention. Maybe it was to prove a point? That whatever Akaashi was planning didn’t work. Still, with him telling Akaashi this it almost seemed to backfire.

“Really?” He seemed surprised with a reaction like that, all the while Bokuto and Kuroo carried on their own conversation from a few feet away, “You know I’m not one to pry, Tsukishima, but I couldn’t help but notice the hickey on Kuroo’s neck.”

A surprised jolt escaped Tsukishima. He may have been a little dazed when he got up this morning, but that was something that gotten past him. However sure enough when he looked, there it was. A small, subtle mark on the open space of skin between his shoulder and his neck, fairly obvious from his loose cut shirt that hung a few inches away from it.

Well, what was he to say to that? Tsukishima wasn’t really up for coming up with retorts right now, and it wasn’t like Akaashi was the kind of person you could easily come up with retorts to. He was attentive with keen analytical skills, and Tsukishima was certain nothing could get past him. He knew retorting would be useless, so he just nodded and walked past him. He figured they would be starting practice soon as is.

Tsukishima was still learning his way around the Tokyo area. Even the seemingly short distance from Kuroo’s house to the school or Kuroo’s house to the Kozume dance studio didn’t feel familiar to him yet. He wasn’t terrible with directions, just not used to the big city of Tokyo. Anyone who grew up in the ‘country town of Miyagi’ probably wouldn’t have been used to the city like this. That being said, the sights in this room did seem rather familiar.

He knew the Kozume dance studio was a big place, at least two floors, and that it mainly taught ballet to young children, but he wasn’t expecting _this_.

Up until now, Tsukishima and Kuroo had only practiced in the same room, the same small ballet room at the studio. But now with the addition of Bokuto and Akaashi, they moved to someplace bigger, a different room inside the same studio. This one much larger than the rest.

It was long and rectangular, with the same style of mirror lining one of the walls and the same light wooden floors to go with it. It even had the same posters and the same speakers sitting off in one corner of the room. Realistically, there was only one difference, and it was the only thing in the room, the _thing_ that Bokuto was eagerly swinging on. It was another pole.

“What is this thing doing in here?” Tsukishima felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him as he was forced to instantly recall what happened back at the summer camp.

It wasn’t like it was anything that he needed to be embarrassed of, but at the training camp a lot of things happened, a lot of things involving the infamous stripper pole.

They told him it was to make him more flexible, to help build up his upper and lower body strength, but Tsukishima always thought there was some other reason behind it. All he really remembered was the seductive look on Kuroo’s face and the way that he would touch him. He wasn’t even sure if he had actual feelings for him back then or if it was just a crush, but they surely used that thing almost every day. He didn’t think anything of it, but by the time he got to the last day of training camp, Tsukishima could at least fully lift himself up onto it and spin around once or twice before his legs gave out.

He thought it was off to have something like this in the room they were practicing in, even more so since the dance they were doing didn’t involve anything like this, and he was sure Bokuto and Akaashi’s didn’t either. He was perplexed, and even more so when he saw the smirking expressions on Kuroo, Bokuto, and even Akaashi’s faces.

“I thought it would be fun,” Bokuto chimed, a smile on his face as he spun around on it one more time.

He was wearing a dark blue tank top with white shorts and his signature black leggings, and for the life of him, Tsukishima still couldn’t decide if they knee pads or not. They seemed to not go with the rest of his outfit, but somehow he managed to make them work, giving him extra leverage as he swung himself around the pole. Maybe this was that ‘secret weapon’ him and Akaashi were talking about back at the preliminaries.

“You can’t be serious?” Tsukishima looked at him with a questionable look. Of course this would be something that Bokuto would come up with, he was just the type of person who would come up with the crazy ideas like this. If you combined this with the bowling alley event from last night, Bokuto was probably slowly approaching his limit when it came to crazy ideas.

“Now, now, don’t be nervous, Tsukki.” Kuroo stepped up behind him, placing his hands on Tsukishima’s shoulders. It almost made him jolt as he remembered he didn’t have to be so serious right now, “You’ve had lots of practice on this, haven’t you? Or have you not actually improved at all since the training camp?” It was hard to tell if Kuroo was provoking him on purpose or not. Even when they were technically dating now, he still was the same old master of provocation. Though, Tsukishima still couldn’t ignore it.

Maybe it was just that he was easy to rile up or he always fell so easily into Kuroo’s schemes, but he couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this. They were technically supposed to be dancing today, but even he knew he couldn’t pass up a chance to surpass his former teacher.

“Hm. Well then,” Tsukishima hummed, a familiar smirk appearing on his face, like he was challenging Kuroo, or accepting his challenge, “We’ll just have to see.”

“Ooh, is Tsukki going to dance for us?” Bokuto beamed, and for some reason he seemed way more excited about this than he should be. Though, he was the kind of person who was always excited about everything.

“Aren’t we supposed to be dancing together?” Akaashi cocked his head to the side and spoke calmly. You could tell from the slight annoyed look on his face that he had lost control of the room.

Tsukishima didn’t know what he was doing. Well, that went without saying. He was the type of person who knew he could easily get riled up. He was stubborn, and would willingly do the opposite of something just out of spite or to prove someone wrong. This was exactly like that. He didn’t want to so much prove Kuroo wrong, but he wanted to show him how much he had improved. Even he knew how much more flexible he had gotten since the training camp, and in a way, he wanted Kuroo to be proud of him. Or in the very least, he wanted to hear whatever snarky comment he had to say about how he ‘taught Tsukki how to do that’. He wasn’t quite sure what was wrong with his brain for wanting to do this.

He could feel the eyes of all three of them watching as he lifted his hands up and placed them on the pole above his head. The cold metal almost startled him as he did so.

Outside of Bokuto, who always wore the weirdest colored outfit with his signature black leggings, Akaashi, Kuroo, and Tsukishima all wore what he considered at least to be pretty normal dance gear. All three of them wore some kind of variation of a random colored t-shirt, and black leggings. He had said it before, but he got quite used to wearing them. He almost felt like it made it easier to bend his legs around the pole, as well as _other_ things.

He wasn’t a pro at it, obviously. Plus, It wasn’t like any of the dances he was doing with or Kuroo or Karasuno involved doing something like this. But nevertheless, he still continued.

He could feel his feet lift off of the floor as the muscles in his arms struggled, and he wrapped one of his legs around the pole. He let his other leg hang there, as one of his arms elegantly lifted off of the pole, he stretched it outward like he was some graceful ballerina, and he spun himself around on the metal pole once or twice. He could feel the hem of his shirt rising up on his stomach, showing off the lower part of his stomach, that were slowly becoming more and more noticeable as the months went on.

He really couldn’t do anything else. What was it exactly that people were supposed to do on this sort of thing? Change his position or spin around it a new way? He didn’t know. Even at the training camp the only thing he saw any of them do on the pole was this. Plus, it’s not like he actually looked into doing stuff like this on his own time. All he was left with now was to swing himself around and lower his feet back onto the floor before his muscles started to get too strained.

It was a hard feeling for him to justify, but he didn’t hate it. Though, he didn’t get the same joy out of doing something like this as he did with dancing either. He didn’t have any kind of spark or passion, though that might have been just because there was no music playing.

Out of the corner of his eye, as he leaned his head up from where it was hanging down, he could see Kuroo staring at him. His expression for the first time seemed blank, like he was concentrating, and Tsukishima felt for a moment like Kuroo was critiquing him. Was he doing it wrong? Tsukishima had always felt mostly confident in what he did while he was dancing. He just always lacked the enthusiasm to show it. Was Kuroo judging him solely based on that? He wasn’t sure anymore, but a part of him felt awkward as he turned to face Bokuto and Akaashi.

“Impressive, Tsukki!” Bokuto yelled out, still with that same enthusiasm in his voice.

“Not bad, Tsukishima. You’ve really improved since the training camp.” Akaashi even praised him this time, with a subtle smirk in his eyes that made him look like he was happy. It was almost hard to ignore, since praise from Akaashi almost felt like it could encourage you.

“Wasn’t he great, Kuroo?” Bokuto turned to look at Kuroo as he still had that blank stare on his face.

Tsukishima didn’t find it odd that he hadn’t said anything, since he seemed to make such a big deal out of it at the training camp. He would have normally figured that him of all people would have some snide remark to say. Tsukishima wasn’t intentionally teasing him when he did that, but he would be lying if he said a part of him didn’t want some kind of attention from him in doing that.

“Kuroo?” Akaashi repeated as Kuroo walked his way over by the pole to where the rest of them were. There was a look on his face, almost like one of determination, and Tsukishima still couldn’t shake the feeling of wondering why he was being so quiet.

He kissed him.

He didn’t even say anything, not emotions, but as soon as he came face to face with Tsukishima, he placed his lips on his, steadying his face with one of his hands. His hands felt warm and rough, and after the initial shock of being taken by surprise, Tsukishima enjoyed it. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to be immersed in it, even moving one of his hands up and placing it on the side of Kuroo’s face, moving some of his hair out of the way. Was this the reason why he was being so quiet?

“You must have been really practicing, Tsukki.” He teased him, seeming to be back to himself again, “I’m such a lucky guy, maybe we should get a pole installed at my place so you can do this for me whenever we want.”

“One more word and I’m leaving right now.” Tsukishima went back to his sarcastic self, almost scowling at Kuroo as he continued to stare at him with that same love-struck grin on his face. _Why was he like this?_

“I think that’s enough flirting for one day. We’re here to practice, remember?” As if he was the voice of reason, Akaashi spoke up, instantly reminding everyone of the reason why they were all here.

“But Akaashi…” Bokuto whined suddenly, like he was complaining that Tsukishima and Kuroo were the ones who were getting all the attention. As if Akaashi realized where this conversation was going, he gave Bokuto a light peck on the lips, making him grin ear to ear. It was hard to think something like that wasn’t cute.

“Speaking of dance,” Akaashi continued, now directed his attention towards Tsukishima, “How are things going with Karasuno?”

“Fine, I guess.” Tsukishima shrugged, and he wasn’t sure if he was talking about preparing for nationals wise or just in general. The new semester for school just started back up, and Tsukishima had yet to feel tired from travelling back and forth so much. “We do have our first wave of competition we have to get through next weekend, so I won’t be able to practice with Kuroo.”

The thought almost slipped his mind, not intentionally, of course, but with Karasuno slowly becoming a powerhouse school again and gunning to compete in nationals, there were some things they had to do first in order to compete.

How nationals worked, or how they worked for the second half of the school year at least, was all based on placing. If you did well in the first half of the school year then you had to go to less of the qualifiers. Since Karasuno managed to place in the top sixteen the first time around, they were exempt from the first round, meaning they could instantly move on to the second round. He only remembered that much because Hinata wouldn’t shut up about how exciting it was.

The second round for nationals would be held next weekend, and how it was going to work was that they were going to perform the routine they had been working on. They would be judged mostly on how many mistakes they did or didn’t make, how well they could express emotion, and how well they moved together as a team. Since it was only the second round, they weren’t going to be as hard on them as they would if it was the finals or something. Though, that still wasn’t that reassuring since everything was point based.

Everything was based on what kind of score you got, and only the top ten got to go to go to the finals to see who from Miyagi would be at nationals. Since there were already about five or six schools who placed high enough to get to go straight back there, Karasuno needed to at least place in the top three in order to advance.

Of course, since it was the second round, most of the people there were out for blood, and Tsukishima found himself thankful that they wouldn’t have to deal with Aoba Josai at the second round since they already advanced to the finals. He already had to deal with enough eccentric people at the preliminaries with Kuroo, and right now he wanted to avoid any more of them as much as possible.

That being said, they still needed to perfect their routine. Everything he was doing with Kuroo aside, the Karasuno dance was an ordeal all in itself.

Daichi and Suga came up with the brilliant idea that everyone should get time to shine in the spotlight. It was only a two and a half minute dance, so he couldn’t understand what they were expecting, and they still had several problems they needed to work out of the dance. It was pretty much expected for people to bump into each other and fall, or even forget their part entirely during rehearsal. Way different from what would happen when Kuroo and him would practice.

“You better win, Tsukki. Otherwise we won’t be able to beat you at nationals!” Bokuto cheered, almost jumping off of the floor as he did so. His voice nearly brimming with exhilaration.

“Of course he’ll win, we’ve been practice together. Haven’t we, my love?” Kuroo looped his arm around him, getting all mushy as he rested his chin on his shoulder.

“Isn’t Ushijima from Shiratorizawa the top ranked school for Miyagi? He’s ranked the third best dancer overall across Japan, isn’t he?” Akaashi, being the only level headed one of the group, spoke up. Tsukishima found that it was good to know he could still have some serious conversation.

“Yeah, they expect him or Aoba Josai to win.” Tsukishima nodded, feeling himself become negative again as he was taking a sip of the water bottle he always brought with him. It wasn’t that he didn’t think they could win, but the odds were stacked against them, and Tsukishima knew it wasn’t a good idea to suddenly become optimistic about something like this.

“Hey now! No negativity! You’ll bring down the mood of the practice!” Bokuto whined again, placing his hands on his hips like he was scolding everybody. “And I’ll have you know I’m in the top FIVE.” This was starting to become a little unruly, with the way Bokuto was making a fuss out of everything.

“He somehow couldn’t make it into the top three.”

“What was that? You wanna fight, Kuroo?”

The top five dancers across Japan wasn’t anything that anyone didn’t expect. Every year based on their performance at nationals, as well as any other dance competition, they rate everyone based on their quality and skill level. They announce the top five high schoolers and they get featured in a magazine usually. They’re also considered the top five teams that are predicted to win nationals. Three of the five of them were from Tokyo, but the other two were from elsewhere, and of course, one of them just had to be from Miyagi.

Tsukishima didn’t really care that much about this sort of thing. Even if every high school didn’t have a dance team, the ones that did were usually pretty extensive. By the time you add up all of those people, it was bound to equal hundreds, if not thousands.

It really wasn’t a big deal. At least, Tsukishima didn’t consider it to be a big deal. He knew there was no way he would ever become one, no matter how hard he worked. There really wasn’t a point in trying to achieve something like that, because there was always someone better than you. People really only cared about this sort of thing for bragging rights or college entrances. In the real world, a title like this didn’t matter, it was just something to give the best of the best, so that people know they’re the best.

That being said, they were still considered the best for a reason, and even though Tsukishima had already seen a few of these so called ‘best’, his hopes of actually beating them, whether that be with Karasuno or with Kuroo, were still slim.

He feared that all of the negativity he was thinking was showing on his face, so Tsukishima turned to Akaashi, hoping that might at least distract him from his thoughts.

“Are they always like this?” He felt like he asked that question before, but when Bokuto and Kuroo got together, he found that it was very likely for them to put on such childish antics.

The two of them were still bickering back and forth. Bokuto was going on about how ‘you’re not even in the top five, Kuroo!’, and Kuroo was retorting about how Nekoma was going to beat Fukurodani at nationals, saying ‘that you didn’t need to be in the to five to have a good team’.

“Unfortunately.” Akaashi answered with the most bland expression, not even batting an eye as their boyfriends were arguing with each other.

Though, Tsukishima could tell from the look on his face that he too was growing tired of this. They came here today to dance, and so far all that happened was Tsukishima spun around on the pole a few times, and they recapped Tsukishima and Kuroo’s love life. He figured it was about time they both do what it was they came here to do.

However, a thought did manage to cross his mind, a thought telling him that this was a prime opportunity to get to know Akaashi better. When it came down to it, he could list off quite a bit of information about Kuroo, but he knew next to nothing about their other two dance mates. Maybe this was a good chance to strike up a casual conversation with Akaashi.

“Say, Akaashi?” He asked as he turned his head to the side, looking at him as he averted his gaze from their boyfriends. “How did Bokuto and you meet? I know you two both go to Fukurodani, but…”

“…But you’re finding it hard to understand how some as… eccentric as Bokuto and myself got together? Am I right?” Akaashi had a certain look on his face, a look that was trying not to make Tsukishima feel awkward as he just asked what probably would have been an awkward question.

Was Akaashi a mind reader? Well, Tsukishima guessed that Akaashi was probably used to this question, but he couldn’t help but give him an apologetic look as he nodded to him.

“It was nothing from what you wouldn’t expect, I was a first year and Bokuto was a second year last year. We hadn’t really spoken to each other much at that time, but I ended up developing a crush on him from the moment I met him. Of course, Bokuto wasn’t exactly the kind of person who would notice something like that, so I just kept it to myself. Then about halfway through the school year last year, I was helping a family member take care of their pet owl in the park, and he escaped from me. Thanks to a weird string of fate, Bokuto was the one who found him. The next day he offered for the two of us to practice together and he confessed to me that he liked me. The rest is history. You know, not too much different from Kuroo and you.” Akaashi smiled, a content look on his face, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but smile back at him.

It wasn’t the overly dramatic story that he was expecting, but it still somehow managed to warm his heart. The thought of a flustered Akaashi chasing down an owl in a busy park would have been quite a sight, and the image almost seemed to make him forget about how Akaashi was hinting at something more here.

Every time they talked it only seemed all the more obvious that Akaashi was trying to get Tsukishima to commit more, to open up to Kuroo more and not hold back. It was obvious that he was trying to give him the push that he needed, but Tsukishima still had a hard time looking him in the eyes. All he could do was wait for him to direct his attention back towards their bickering boyfriends.

“Now, if you two are done arguing…” Akaashi spoke up, and this time Bokuto and Kuroo actually seemed to listen, both looking at Akaashi with attentiveness in their eyes.

Tsukishima couldn’t help but admire the way Akaashi could get anyone and everyone to look at him like that. He was soft spoken, but when he talked, people listened.   
“Are we going to dance, or should Tsukishima and I just find new dance partners?”

“N-no.” They both stuttered out their answer as they instantly ran to where Tsukishima and Akaashi were, standing by their respected partners. Both Akaashi and Tsukishima smirked, as if they were satisfied with that.

“Okay, Bokuto and I still need to perfect our final lift, what are you guys going to work on?” Akaashi spoke as he began walking over to the CD player on the far side of the room. He had a look of determination in his eyes, and Tsukishima found himself becoming curious of what their routine actually was. The way Bokuto talked about it, it made their routine sound like the greatest dance ever done, and though he did like to exaggerate, Tsukishima still wouldn’t mind seeing it in person.

“Uh… we were just gonna…”

“Let me reiterate. Tsukishima, do you know what Kuroo and you are struggling with?” Akaashi repeated himself and this time direction his question to Tsukishima.

On the subject of their dance, Tsukishima was actually confident about it, somewhat at least. They hadn’t done it in front of actual audience yet, so getting Akaashi and Bokuto’s input would be really important and crucial for them, but he had no idea where to start. Kuroo was the one who came up with the routine, and whenever they would practice Kuroo would always decide on what they needed to work on. Most of the time he would focus on making sure Tsukishima and him knew all the steps, or making sure Tsukishima was comfortable with the lifts or the twirls. He wouldn’t say their routine was simple, but it wasn’t something that was overly complicated either. Though, that still didn’t mean he knew what it was exactly he was going to tell Akaashi.

He must have been able to sense the puzzled look on his face, because Akaashi gave an almost reassuring half smile.

“Okay, you guys do your dance and we’ll critique you.”

Both Tsukishima and Kuroo nodded as they walked to the center of the room. Kuroo handed Akaashi his phone that had the song on it, and Bokuto sat down on the floor, crossing his legs as he eagerly awaited. Tsukishima wasn’t sure why, but he could feel a slight tingle in his stomach, strange considering he never gets nervous for these kinds of things. Maybe it was just because Kuroo was with him and he wanted to do him and this dance justice. He had said it before, but something in him always clicked when he danced with Kuroo. He wanted to make his last year memorable, as well as he wanted to feel that passion in him again, the same one that he felt when he danced only with Kuroo.

He looked up at Kuroo as Akaashi hit the play button, and he saw that sly smirk on his face and a wink in Kuroo’s eye as the music started.

For the starting position of the song, the two of them stood side by side with their heads down, and their feet crossed over each other. Their arms were extended about a foot or so out from their sides. In a way, Tsukishima thought the way they were posed kind of looked like a bird, which did seem kind of fitting for them.

Once the music started, Kuroo pulled Tsukishima in for a spin, holding his body close to his, as Tsukishima’s back was against his chest. He twirled him out and the two of them began to dance to the music.

Most of their dance was about being in sync with each other, moving their feet at the same time and dancing in rhythm side by side.

The two of them would move step back, then step forward, then Kuroo would reach out and twirl Tsukishima again. Tsukishima even found himself smiling as the two of them looked at each other for a brief moment. He was happy, or at least, he felt like he was. He wasn’t sure how clear that expression appeared on his face. It truly was his biggest problem.

He could see Kuroo wink at him as he pulled him close, running his hands down the sides of Tsukishima’s arms, with a flirty smile on his face, even sticking his tongue out as he did so.

It didn’t take that long into the dance for that feeling to return, the passion feeling that Tsukishima only felt when he danced with Kuroo. He would pull him close and Tsukishima would smile. He would move his arms and place his legs with more force, and he could even feel sweat start to form on his forehead from how much he was moving. It was exhilarating and it made him feel like he was doing the best he could.

It was hard to explain, but for the dance it felt like both Tsukishima and Kuroo were capturing different parts of the ‘love’ theme.

Kuroo was the more ‘sexual’ type of love, the way he smirked, ran his fingers through his hair, and moved his hips while dancing made it obvious. He was playing the more dominant role, like the ‘bad boy’, ‘player’ type. What made it more obvious the way he extended his hand out to Tsukishima, like he was edging him on and trying to get him to take it.

While Tsukishima was embodying the more slow, romantic type of love. Like an elegant ballerina, the way he extended his arms and all of his movements were precise. There was nothing sexual about it, and the way he would lean into Kuroo seemed to have an almost innocent feel to it.

The dance was like two people falling in love, the bad boy and the ballerina. They start off by moving in sync with one another, but then they each got their own solo parts. Kuroo would smile and put on a show for the audience, turning and letting everyone know that he was putting on a show, trying to be a flirt, and Tsukishima would twirl and jump, making the audience marvel at how graceful he was. That’s what the song and the dance conveyed, and that’s what the two of them wanted to feel like right now. Tsukishima was the not so innocent ballerina falling in love with Kuroo.

By the end of the dance, the ‘bad boy’ and ‘ballerina’ aesthetic that the two of them had should be gone. They became one person, dancing together in perfect harmony. It was that point in the song where the emotions really mattered.

Kuroo would lift Tsukishima up in the air, bringing him down slowly for that last bit of sexuality in the routine, and then as the music would fade out, the two of them would look at each other with that longing look in their eyes. Like they waited years for this moment, and now they finally had it. They looked like they were truly in love, and then they close out the ending with a kiss. It was Kuroo’s idea, after the little bit at the preliminaries. He decided it would add in that extra thing that the routine needed, and after the events of last week, Tsukishima couldn’t find a reason to say no, not that he wanted to.

That’s how the routine was supposed to go anyway.

Tsukishima felt like he had the routine down. He didn’t make any mistakes, but still, as the music faded out he felt like something didn’t feel right, like he was missing something. It was only when Kuroo kissed him at the end of the song that he realized what that was.

“I give it a 9.5 out of ten, needs more Akaashi.” Bokuto sang out, holding up nine fingers on his hand as he smiled.

“That doesn’t even make any sense.” Akaashi gave him a confused stare, oddly enough with a soft smile on his face. Though, Tsukishima couldn’t deny the look in his eyes, like he was calculating.

“What do ya’ think? Not bad, huh?” Kuroo bragged, walking over to where his bag was and pulling out his water.

Tsukishima would have probably done the same, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Unlike everything else he cared about, he wanted this routine to be perfect, the best that it could be. And more than anything he wanted Akaashi’s feedback. He was only a second year, but Tsukishima valued his opinion. Plus, he knew that he was smart. If anyone in this room knew what they needed to fix and change, it would be him.

“Do you get nervous, Tsukishima?” Akaashi asked as he rested his index finger on his chin, still with that look in his eyes like he was analyzing something.

“Not really. Why do you ask?”

“No reason, you just looked like you were holding back for some reason. I thought it might be nerves. This is the first time you two have performed this in front of other people, right?”

“Aw, is Tsukki shy?” Bokuto chimed in, wrapping an arm around Tsukishima’s shoulder, almost knocking him off balance.

“I’m n-not.” Tsukishima felt flustered, mostly from Bokuto taking him off guard like this. It distracted him from making a response to Akaashi more than anything else.

He knew what it was exactly that he was implying, but it was almost hard for him to wrap his head around it. He said it before, but Tsukishima wasn’t the type of person to get nervous. He didn’t have any of those nauseous feelings before performing that he had seen Hinata have before a dance competition. He didn’t have an anxiety and he felt fine, but he still couldn’t dismiss what he was saying. Was he holding back? What did that even mean? Was he subconsciously just feeling cautious because he knew Bokuto and Akaashi would be watching him? He didn’t think so, but maybe. He did feel like something was missing after all. Maybe that was it.

“Hm.” Akaashi kept his hand on his chin, still looking like he was pondering something as Bokuto and Kuroo went off on their own conversation. Right now, Bokuto was talking about how he couldn’t wait for Kuroo to see his routine.

That was another thing they were going to do today, it wasn’t just about Kuroo and Tsukishima but about Akaashi and Bokuto too. It was so all four of them could practice and get better. In his mind, Tsukishima didn’t know what to expect when it came to the two of them, but as he looked at the enthusiasm in Bokuto’s eyes, he couldn’t help but be curious about what kind of ‘secret weapon’ they always went on about.

“I got it!” Akaashi snapped up again, it looked like a lightbulb just went off in his head.

“What?” All three of them looked at Akaashi with a questionable look on their faces. Tsukishima wasn’t sure if he should feel relieved or worried.

“Tsukishima,” He placed his hands on Tsukishima’s shoulders, it was as if he was speaking only to him, “Try doing the routine again, but just do it as if you’re only look at Kuroo.”

“Only looking at Kuroo?” A puzzled look appeared on his face as he repeated him, and Akaashi had a look on his face like he just solved the world’s greatest mystery.

“What I’m trying to say is look at him like he’s the only person in the room, never take your eyes off of him, I think it’ll help you express your emotions better. You two are dating now, so you don’t have to pretend when it comes to dancing, right? You understand what I mean, don’t you, Kuroo?”

Akaashi always had this cool look about him, something about him just made him look like it was impossible for him to be surprised or panicked about anything. Even when he was giving advice and had a look of passion in his eyes, he seemed serious, and something about that made Tsukishima respect him. And with that being said, he understood what it was exactly that Akaashi was getting at. He wasn’t sure if he liked the idea, or if it was something that he could even do, but he knew he needed to trust Kuroo more, not just with this dance, but emotionally too. There would be no way either of them could improve at this rate, and Tsukishima still wanted to make this year memorable for Kuroo.

“I think I get it.” Kuroo smiled and made his way over to Tsukishima, he wasn’t sure what he had planned, but he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up when they were face to face. Kuroo almost had a loving look in his eyes as he spoke, “Tsukki, let’s do it again, but this time, dance like only I’m watching. I want you to dance just for me, okay?”

Tsukishima wasn’t sure what it was in him that made him so eager to take orders like this all of a sudden. Maybe that he wanted to improve, wanted to get better, or maybe he just wanted to keep dancing with him. He liked him, and he shouldn’t let an opportunity or an experience like this go to waste. If they had a suggestion, Tsukishima was probably willing to try it.

He nodded his head at them as he turned his back to them. He didn’t have to say it out loud, but he decided to anyways.

“Okay, let’s do it one more time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The stripper pole returns!  
> A while back someone requested that the stripper pole should make a comeback, and ten chapters later, I finally found a place to write it back in, haha.  
> This chapter was a little difficult to write, since I always do struggle with the dance chapters a little bit, and I wanted to try to give Akaashi and Bokuto a bit more of a backstory in this. 
> 
> As always, thank you guys so much for your support on this story so far, it really keeps me going. It's hard to believe I've working on this story for two months already, haha. And as well as a big thank you to my beta reader for making this chapter that much more enjoyable.
> 
> Next chapter we will go back to the Karasuno side of things and start their dance competition, and we may get introduced to some new characters too.


	14. Qualifiers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karasuno arrives at the tournament for round two of the qualifiers, where Tsukishima, Hinata, and Kageyama have a run in with some members of Aoba Josai.

“So cool! This place is amazing!” Hinata yelled out, a joyful look in his eyes as the members from Karasuno walked in through the automated front doors. They made an almost screeching noise as the doors rubbed up against the floor.

“It looks the same as it did a few months ago.” As lax as ever, Tsukishima pulled his headphones off of his ears just in time to hear the ever so loud Hinata. He could already tell it was going to be one of  _ those _ days as he adjusted to the new noises around him. His eyes feeling like they were growing dreary as if he had just woken up from a nap.

“Oh, come on, Tsukishima. Why don’t you show some more spirit?”

“No thank you, I’m not good at that sort of thing.” And just like that, his headphones were back on again, tuning out the world as he listened to whatever song was up next on this playlist.

He considered it be like any other ordinary day, waking up early and dealing with the emotions from the Karasuno dance team, but it wasn’t. It was  _ the _ day, round two of the qualifiers.

In a way, you could say Tsukishima wasn’t very enthusiastic about doing this. He was probably already mentally preparing himself to lose as soon as he walked in the door. It had only been a few months but everything looked the same in this public gymnasium; the same sign on the door, the same banners on the walls, even the same teams wearing the same uniforms as they walked up to the registration desk. It was an unwelcome wave of nostalgia.

The last time he was at this building specifically was when they lost to Aoba Josai earlier in the year. It was a bitter defeat. He didn’t think they would win, but that didn’t make the anguish inside of him feel any better. Even if you know you’ll lose, it still sucks. More than that, they only lost by ten points, making everything feel all the worst. He knew it was a bad idea to dwell on it, but he could still hear the sullied voices of the third years saying that if only they picked a better routine, or if Nishinoya wouldn’t have fallen, then things would have been different. 

In a way, this was more than just a competition to them. It was their redemption, and their final chance at it, too.

Tsukishima wasn’t trying to dwell on it, but would it be a repeat of what happened before?

They all filed into the hallway in a single line with Daichi leading the front and Hinata bring up the rear. They were all donned in their black Karasuno sports club jackets with the black pants of their uniforms showing through the bottom. There was something about wearing black to an event like this that made them feel unwelcomed, like they were the outcast ones here, the ones that people didn’t want to show up. Maybe it was just all in his head, but something felt different.

“Is that them?” An unfamiliar voice spoke as they walked past a group of students from another school. Tsukishima didn’t recognize the purple color of their uniforms, so he guessed they were one of the other schools competing here today. Even through his headphones he could still read lips, but he was used to this kind of conversation.

“You mean Karasuno? The flightless crows is what I hear they’re called.” Another boy from the same school spoke, and Tsukishima could see them make eye contact with him for a minute as he tried not to roll his eyes. Though, he still couldn’t resist the urge to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“I don’t think that name really suits them anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you hear? Last season they almost beat Aoba Josai, it was less than a ten point difference.”

“Seriously? No way.”

It was nothing more than usual pre-competition chatter, the other schools sizing up their opponents. Most schools knew at least a little bit about the other schools they were competing against here. Some people even went as far as to know what their strengths and weaknesses are as well as what each individual dancer was like. Of course, something like that was usually only reserved for the more important schools like Aoba Josai and Shiratorizawa. But everyone at Karasuno was used to  _ this _ kind of chatter.

One of the things about being a powerhouse school was that you had that much of a bigger reputation to live up to. Karasuno used to be good, one of the best in the whole prefecture, and then they weren’t. They fell. They really did become ‘flightless crows’, and even if they were slowly working their way up the ranks again, it was going to take a while before people stopped referring to them as that. Until they won any real competitions or tournaments, it would be hard for people to stop seeing them as easy ones to beat.

Whenever this kind of thing happened at competitions, you could always see the look of discomfort and frustration on Hinata’s face. He truly was a simpleton in how easy it was for others to rile him up. It was like he just wanted to jump in there and yell at them, but he knew he would get chastised for it. So, he never did say anything. He would just glare at them from across the room. The ones who were really affected by all of this were the third years.

It being their final year and all, they were the ones who suffered the most. They weren’t rising through the ranks at all until recently, and they had the unfortunate task of being first years right when Karasuno being a powerhouse school was a thing of the past. They had probably heard these types of comments more often than anyone else, and there was no doubt that it affected them the most and made them that much more determined to overcome them. You could see it in their faces as they struggled not to say anything.

Of course, this sort of thing never bothered Tsukishima. His mentality always was to let people say what they will. They were high schoolers and gossiping is what they do. Though, that didn’t mean he didn’t want to be in the room to see the look of shock on their faces when they found out how wrong they were. That may have made him slightly immature, but he got a kick out of that, and it gave him a greater satisfaction than just about anything else when it came to this sport.

“What time are we performing, Daichi?” Hinata asked as Tsukishima took off his headphones for good this time. There was only so much of listening to a certain type of music he could take before his head felt like it was spinning.

He had been listening to this playlist Bokuto set for him, and it consisted of nothing but idol groups. Bokuto had apparently been on a kick of those recently and was determined to make everyone else suffer along with him. Though, Tsukishima couldn’t actually complain since even he found himself enjoying at least a few songs.

“We’ll be going on right at 1:30 this afternoon and the final scores will be announced at 4:00, so we’ll be here awhile.” Daichi smiled and both Tsukishima and Hinata turned their head simultaneously to look at the nearest clock. He knew it was early, but was it seriously only ten thirty? It was going to be a long day.

The early rounds of the qualifiers were done a bit differently than normal. Instead of having one school dance, the judges deliberate and then announce the scores, here they had all the schools dance and then at the end the judges would deliberate and announce the top schools that got to advance. It was a bit of a convoluted way of doing it, but considering how many schools participated in something like this, even from the small area of Miyagi, Tsukishima couldn't blame them. It was probably what sounded like the most efficient thing to do.

“Are you nervous, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi asked from behind him as they continued walking in line to wherever Daichi was leading them. He was pretty sure he heard Daichi mention that they were going to one of the spare areas to do warm-ups and get in some practice, but he wasn’t paying attention that much. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t find out later anyways.

They walked past the central lobby area on the first floor of the facility. It had standard black tables, chairs, and sofas over on the left side with large open windows letting lots of light in as dancers gathered there with their teams. The whole place was littered with a rainbow of colors, glitter, and the smell of hairspray. There was also this weird abstract portrait of some kind  on the wall there. It was circular and looked like it almost resembled a face if you looked at it the right way.

He didn’t see anyone he recognized there, though, that was probably a good thing. He knew both Kuroo and Akaashi mentioned that Nekoma and Fukurodani had school stuff to do this weekend, so neither of them could make the train ride down here this Saturday morning. Somehow, Tsukishima felt relieved at that. He knew things wouldn’t go well if he heard them or anyone else he knew yelling his name from the stands. He even hated his family coming to watch him at something like this. He wasn’t the type of person who liked having attention on him at all,  _ ever _ . Kind of ironic since he chose to pursue a team sport in high school.

Over on the right side of the lobby area there was a directory on the wall next to the bathrooms. He could hear Tanaka teasing Hinata, asking him if he needed to use the bathroom before he practices, because whenever Hinata would get nervous he would throw up and have to run to the nearest restroom. It was something that Tsukishima didn’t want to think about as he looked over the directory. He figured it would be a good idea to familiarize himself with this place since he was going to be here all day.

It looked like the competition was being held on the main gym on the main floor, while everything else was just empty rooms, free for the schools to use as a practice area if they were available. Everything else was just a directory of which stairs led to what entrance and where the other bathrooms were. 

It may have only been the second round of the qualifiers, but some of the bigger schools definitely brought their own cheering sections with school made banners and everything. All Karasuno had was an old banner in black that read ‘FLY’. It was a nice touch considering their current dance style was composed of a lot of jumps and twirls, but it didn’t really seem to fit in here.

“I’m fine, I don’t get nervous, Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima finally answered his friend after what felt like several minutes of pondering. Though he had been learning more and more since practicing with Kuroo that he did get nervous, but here he should be fine.

“Oh yeah, you always have been that way. I wish I could say the same, I’m freaking out right now. How do you do it, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi had a shy, uncertain look on his face as he clenched the straps on his school bag. It was in moments like these where Tsukishima wished that he was actually good at offering up any advice.

“Do you want some medicine, Yamaguchi?” Ennoshita spoke up from behind them as the rest of Karasuno was disbanding and doing their own thing during a break. Out of the corner of his eye, Tsukishima could see Daichi and Suga looking through the brochure together a few feet away while everyone else broke off into groups, most of them sitting down, gossiping, or going to the bathroom.

“Do you have some?” Yamaguchi spun around, almost with a look of desperation on his face, and Tsukishima decide to use this opportunity to walk around a little. He knew Yamaguchi would be fine, and his legs were still cramping up from the bus ride over here. Despite how tall he was, he really needed to stretch.

He unintentionally ended up following a few feet behind Hinata and Kageyama, who were both going on about some childish thing Tsukishima was too tired to pay attention to. He decided to use this opportunity to pull out his phone, thinking he could maybe get a few free minutes to play some dumb app Bokuto coaxed him into installing. Which reminded him more and more that he should never let him use his phone again.

To his surprise when he opened it up, he had a new message from Kuroo.

**From Kuroo:**

_ Good luck 2day Tsukki. I know u can do it! I’ll b thinking of u. Show em what an elegant dancer u r~ _

_ Ps I miss u my love~ _

He almost blushed as he read it. Why was his boyfriend so mushy when it came to these sorts of things? Well, he couldn’t complain. It wasn’t like Tsukishima didn’t like getting these kinds of messages. He just always found himself having a hard time with coming up with responses to these sorts of things. Even when he was with Kuroo, there was a part of his brain that would always refuse to let him get all mushy, like it was reminding him that he needed to be cool and composed at all times. Plus, he was sure that if he replied with something mushy, it would weird Kuroo out. Maybe his problem was just that he wasn’t good at dealing with this kind of stuff. He hated having attention on him, even in text messages.

Still, he felt like he just couldn’t go without replying to him. Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi all knew about the second round qualifiers for Miyagi were today, and though Bokuto and Akaashi hadn’t texted him yet, Kuroo was his boyfriend and he knew it would be rude not to reply. So, he would have to force himself to do it.

He clicked on the keyboard to start typing out his reply, but just as every time he texts Kuroo, he had a hard time figuring out what to say. Just saying ‘thank you’ seemed a little too vague of a response for Kuroo, but coming up with a reply that was longer than five words seemed too challenging. If Yamaguchi was back from the bathroom, he could already imagine him looking over his shoulders and typing out some mushy reply for him and telling him that he needed to be more up front with his emotions when it came to Kuroo. It was easy advice, but Tsukishima even found doing something like that challenging.

Tsukishima couldn’t help but reflect on the events of last weekend as he continued to walk at a slow pace behind the two simpletons. The sexual part aside, because Tsukishima couldn’t bear the thought of repeating what happened out loud or in his head. Though, that didn’t mean he didn’t like it and didn’t want to do it again, but something else much more important happened that weekend.  _ The practice _ .

Kuroo and him perfected their routine, to the best of their ability anyway, and with Akaashi’s help, it felt like their routine was better than ever. Somehow, Akaashi was able to solve what was holding them back: the emotions.

It was simple really, and Tsukishima knew it would always be a problem for him. He didn’t express his feelings well in general, and though he didn’t technically get nervous, whenever he had someone watching him whose opinions he actually cared about, he didn’t feel comfortable. He was thinking too much and he knew that. He knew that he was concentrating way too much on the dance steps, on where Kuroo was looking, on where Kuroo was touching him, and most of all, he was concentrating on trying to make it seem like he was in love. He was trying to focus too much on making sure the people watching could feel what he was feeling, and that ended up being his ultimate distracting force. Kind of ironic, really.

When they tried the dance again, this time with Tsukishima not thinking about the audience or the other people around him, only about Kuroo. Things worked so much better. It seemed to feel more genuine, like they were the only people in the world, and something about him seemed to feel more attentive, his movements much sharper, and in return, giving a better performance. Even the kiss at the end felt more alive and passionate. It seemed to ignite a new confidence in Tsukishima, and he knew they could win-

“Hey, watch where you’re-’ 

He wasn't paying attention again, Tsukishima felt like he was just walking aimlessly through what seemed like a pretty empty hallway. He felt like an abrupt force stopped him, stopping him in his tracks as he almost dropped the phone in his hands. He ran into another person, and it was only when they started talking to him that he brought his eyes forward.

Tsukishima snapped up, instantly being brought out of his thoughts as he looked up into the person he just ran into. He thought he just ran into Kageyama who was walking too slow, but soon learned that wasn’t the case. He hadn’t noticed it until now, but all that time he had been thinking, his fingers had been typing, and right in that moment, he accidentally hit send.

**To Kuroo:**

_ I miss you too. Good luck at practice today, Kuroo. I’ll try to do my best from what you taught me <3 _

It wasn’t anything that was out of the ordinary. It was probably pretty normal for two people who were dating to send each other something like that, but for Tsukishima, it felt almost as if it was too soft for him. What part of him made him think it was a good idea to add a heart at the end? He had never even sent a heart to anyone before this. 

Any minute now, he expected to get a text from Kuroo freaking out, telling him how cute he was being. He was all kinds of headache to respond to, and Tsukishima was starting to think it may be a better option to just turn his phone off until he looked up.

“It-it’s the great king.” Hinata’s voice was shaky, and Tsukishima realized that he must have bumped into Oikawa’s arm as he was walking by. That or they bumped into him. How troublesome.

“Ah, that’s right, you guys are competing today. How are you doing, Tobio, Shrimpy, oh and Glasses is here too, I see?” Oikawa smirked, as condescending as always, and Tsukishima almost had a hard time recognizing with what he was wearing.

It was a Saturday, and a school day nonetheless. Even if they weren’t apart of the dance team, Tsukishima couldn’t imagine Aoba Josai letting Oikawa and a few of the other dancers off for a day just to check out the competition.

Oikawa Tooru, or ‘The Great King’ as Hinata called him, was the star dancer for the Aoba Josai dance team that beat them at the last tournament. He was a cocky pretty boy with a terrible personality and a face that all the girls and guys seemed to love. He was apparently a prodigy and worked hard on his dance skill ever since he was young. So much so that even Kageyama envied and recognized his skill.

Of course, all of that meant nothing to Tsukishima. He was just another player from another school, another person who was better than him, and Tsukishima had no trouble admitting that. He had no problem with him. Though, he knew if he didn’t find a way to exit the conversation, a headache would soon rise. 

While Tsukishima had no problem with him, Hinata and Kageyama very much did, and he didn’t want to be around for whatever dumb argument they got into.

With Oikawa was a group of three other people, one of which he recognized best as his partner in crime, Iwaizumi. He was the shortest one out of the four of them, but he still had that same calm expression on his face. From what Tsukishima had gathered, Iwaizumi could be aggressive when he wanted to be, but most of the time he was considerate. Which was probably a hard job to do when Oikawa was always causing trouble.

“What are you doing here, Oikawa?” Kageyama was the first to speak, with a look of annoyance in his eyes that was hard to ignore. Kageyama always did say that he considered Oikawa his rival, that one day he was going to surpass him, and that was true even now. Honestly, why did Tsukishima decide to follow such wearisome people?

“Now, now, don’t put up a fuss. It’s bad luck to get into a fight before you perform, you know?”

“That’s not true, I don’t know where you get your ideas from.” Iwaizumi, spoke up from behind Oikawa. His voice was always calm and he was the complete opposite of Oikawa. It was almost too hard to ignore that those two were actually friends. Though, that still didn’t make them anymore recognizable today.

Next to Iwaizumi were two other members apart of the Aoba Josai roster. Hanamaki and Matsukawa. Tsukishima couldn't really list off any information about them, but they were the four third years that made up the Aoba Josai team. They all seemed to get along well, despite their personality differences, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but look them over as they eyed over each one of them. The only one who didn't seem menacing at all was Iwaizumi, ironically enough.

The term ‘disguise’ came to mind, as the four of them were wearing casual clothes, not the Aoba Josai school uniform or their dance outfits. Oikawa was wearing a dark blue jacket with blue jeans, while Iwaizumi wore some gray sweatpants and a hoodie. Hanamaki wore a plain colored jacket and some sweats, and Matsukawa was in tight jeans with what looked like a dark blue shirt with a designer logo on it, and were those piercings? Tsukishima wasn’t sure he noticed someone on the Aoba Josai team looking so  _ eccentric _ before.

The only other difference between any of them was that Oikawa was wearing glasses, making him somewhat unrecognizable. Tsukishima couldn’t help but wonder if they were doing it for their own benefit, or because they didn’t want anyone to know they were here. Well, it was all the same to him. Maybe if he hadn’t run into them then they wouldn’t have said anything at all.

“Iwa-chan, can’t you back me up at least once?” Oikawa almost cried as he turned to Iwaizumi. Apparently those two were childhood friends. It was a lot like how Kenma nicknamed Kuroo ‘Kuro’. 

Though, from what Tsukishima had observed, Oikawa and Iwaizumi had quite a different friendship than Kuroo and Kenma did. The term ‘tough love’ came to mind, but Tsukishima was thinking that didn't really describe them. Iwaizumi seemed to value Oikawa as a friend, and only seemed to get tough on him when he did something that was unnecessary, like right now for instance. You could practically see the annoyed look in his eyes as Oikawa spoke again.

“Anyways, we’re here to scope out the competition.”

“Is that all?” Kageyama had disbelief in his voice, and Tsukishima noted that Hinata was being surprisingly quiet. Did he not have anything to say, or was he just too frightened of ‘The Great King’?

“Yes, it is a pure coincidence that we ran into you here.” Oikawa crossed his arms and turned his head to the side. He was clearly the one who was leading the conversation like he was a child throwing a tantrum. That was just what they needed, another child in this conversation. 

Tsukishima watched as if he was waiting to see who was or wasn't going to say something next. Though he did find it a little hard to believe that a coincidence could bring all of them here together right now, he wasn't going to question it. He had met people under stranger circumstances before, and though Oikawa wasn't his most favorite person, he was in no mood to go out of the way to deal with his personality. It was best just to let him speak.

“Now if you’ll excuse us, we should go before we spotted. We skipped school to come here today.” Oikawa turned himself around, proceeding to walk away down the long hallway with the others. None of them even saying anything at all until Oikawa stopped, like he suddenly remembered something and faced them again, or should he say, faced Tsukishima.

“What?” Tsukishima almost snarled at him. He didn’t want to be rude, in a way he respected Oikawa, but he knew him well enough that whatever he was about to say wouldn’t be anything useful. 

The two of them had never even had a conversation before, but Oikawa loved to rile people up, especially Hinata and Kageyama. The last thing Tsukishima wanted right now was to be considered a part of that group.

“I happened to catch the preliminaries the other day for the couple’s dance competition,” he smirked, and Tsukishima felt a chill run down his spine as he let him continue, “I was in Tokyo visiting some relatives, and they happened to have it showing on some local news channel. My cousins are really into dance so they watch these kinds of things, and I thought it would be a good idea to check out the competition. Since me and Iwa-chan never got to do it-“

“I told you, I am not parading around in spandex with you while you make up the dullest routine ever, Shittykawa.”

“Don’t be mad, Iwa-chan, we would totally win!” Oikawa whined, his voice getting higher as he gave a panicked expression towards Iwaizumi before turning back to Tsukishima. There was a look on Iwaizumi’s face that made it seem like he was done with this conversation, or at least, done with Oikawa talking. 

Just thinking about it seemed to make Tsukishima’s skin crawl, for multiple reasons. He found himself being thankful enough that two members from Shiratorizawa were the only ones from Miyagi who were also competing in that competition. Tsukishima had no idea what he would even do if he do if he had to deal with Oikawa being there too. He couldn't even imagine him strutting around in some overly glitter mess with Iwaizumi in tow. Unimaginable.

“But anyways, I knew Ushijima from Shiratorizawa was competing in it this year, and I wanted to watch him lose. I didn’t expect to see you strutting around in some over the top costume with some boy from one of the Tokyo schools.”

“You mean Nekoma’s rooster haired captain?” Hinata finally said something. Tsukishima figured he was probably too nervous to say something until now. He had only known him for a year but Hinata just had one of those easy to read personalities. Though, that still didn’t make the situation any better.

“Can we stop talking about this?” Tsukishima almost groaned. He was embarrassed. e didn’t talk about the couples dancing with Kuroo in front of his own teammates unless they asked him directly. So, there was no way he was talking to two people he didn’t even know about this. Especially the annoying Oikawa.

“Aw, what’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? I just thought it was cute and all, especially the kiss.” Oikawa winked, and Tsukishima was pretty sure Oikawa knew that he struck a nerve. The look on his face said it all. He was trying to rile him up.

“A kiss? Tsukishima, are you dating Kuroo?” Hinata asked with a genuine look on his face, and Tsukishima might have considered answering him truthfully if another annoyance wasn’t already preoccupying him.

“That’s…” He didn’t speak, and he didn’t even know what to say to that. He knew he shouldn’t even humor Oikawa right now, but something in him felt like retorting.

“Idiot!” Iwaizumi spoke up, almost yelling as he moved his hand and hit Oikawa on the top of the head, making him cower down like he was in pain. At least one person here had a level head, “Let’s go, you’re causing trouble again. We apologize. Good luck today.”

Iwaizumi, with his hand still on Oikawa’s head, forced him to almost lean his head forward, like he was apologizing as they walked away with the other two members, Hanamaki and Matsukawa chuckling in the process. They didn’t say anything at all during the conversation, but the look of subtle immaturity on their faces was evident.

None of them seemed to have even a remote smile on their faces, like they were all annoyed about something. Off in the distance, you could still hear the frantic yells of Oikawa saying he did nothing wrong, and Iwaizumi calling him ‘Shittykawa’. Looks like the conversation took a surprising turn of events.

Tsukishima prepared himself to fully be done with this conversation and head back towards the restrooms where Yamaguchi was, but he felt a slight tug on the sleeve of his jacket, forcing him to turn around.

It was Kageyama who had that same look of determination in his eyes, and it felt like him and Tsukishima almost shared the same feeling right now.

“Now that you know what he’s like, I hope you know that I don’t plan on losing to him this time.”

“I understand how you feel,  _ king _ .” Tsukishima felt just as snarky as usual, calling Kageyama by that nickname he only called him when he was pissed off.

Though, he would be lying if he said he wanted to just lose this time around. Moving forward meant they truly could have their revenge against Oikawa and Aoba Josai, as well as go to nationals and play against Bokuto and Kuroo.

That was the thing he wanted but refused to tell anyone. Even Bokuto teased him during their practice last weekend, saying that if Karasuno manages to push past through Miyagi’s tournament that they could face off against each other. Him and Kuroo seemed pretty excited about it, even saying that back when Karasuno was a powerhouse school, Nekoma and them used to practice and have little competitions together all the time, and that he wanted nothing more than to do that again. And funny enough, so did Tsukishima.

He spoke up again, with almost the same level of determination in his eyes. It was almost a strange feeling to have this kind of motivation in him. Maybe it was just because he wanted to go to nationals so much., If he went to nationals that meant he got to spend that much more time with Kuroo.

“And I don’t plan on losing either.”

“Twenty minutes. Is everyone warmed up?” Daichi spoke with a smile on his face as he was staring at the clock on the wall in the empty room.

It was almost one thirty, which meant the day was half way over, or half way starting depending on what kind of person you are. For Tsukishima, it was the former.

Everyone from Karasuno laid stretched out to some degree with their jackets finally off and showcasing their new outfits. It almost looked like an orange mess as he looked around the room, like Halloween came early this year.

Tsukishima was stretching out his legs, almost like he was doing the splits with Yamaguchi next to him while Hinata was jumping, and Suga stretched out one of his legs like a ballerina. They ran through the dance no less than five times since arriving, but that still didn’t make everyone feel confident.

“Wow, Tsukishima, I’m impressed, it looks like you really have gotten more flexible. Practicing with Kuroo must really be helping.” Suga made his way over to where him and Yamaguchi were sitting, looking over them as he stood up, and he couldn’t tell if his comment was being sincere or if he had some sort of ulterior motive.

“Mhm.” Tsukishima nodded his head. He wasn’t exactly one for words before a competition like this. He found it distracting, and he needed to make sure he was nice and limber so he didn’t make any mistakes.

“Not talking, huh? Well that’s just what I would expect from you.” Suga smiled, it was like he was making the rounds, checking up on everyone and making sure they were doing alright. It was something that Suga would probably say made him a good vice-captain. He always had a smile on his face, and though he could be quite vindictive at times, he still felt very supportive.

“Hey! I’m flexible too!” Hinata yelled out, almost in a stubborn voice, “Look, I can do-“

“-Hinata! Please don’t strain yourself!” Daichi yelled, like he was a worried father who just saw his son do something that may cause him to get injured. Tsukishima didn’t even bother to look as he checked his phone for the fifth time in the past ten minutes.

No new messages.

He sighed with disappointment. Well, Kuroo probably was busy. He had entrance exams to study for, as well as practicing with Nekoma. It really wasn’t anything to dwell on, but it still unsettled him slightly knowing that he hadn’t responded to his messages yet. It wasn’t for any reason in particular that he wanted to see his response. Maybe he just wanted to see what dumb retort he had. It might distract him for a little while.

“How are things going with Kuroo, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi tilted his head to the side, an innocent look on his face as he spoke with a curious tone.

“Good,” He nodded his head as he debated just how much he should tell his best friend right now, “Our date last weekend went fine, we made a lot of progress on our dance thanks to Bokuto and Akaashi. Oh, and we slept in the same bed so-”

He wasn’t sure what was running through his head right now, Tsukishima was just talking by this point, saying whatever came to mind. He knew he was probably giving Yamaguchi more information than he normally would have. Outside of Kuroo, he hadn’t talked to anyone else much recently, and maybe he just wanted someone to vent any of his problems to. Yamaguchi had always been that kind of person for him, the person he could always count on, no matter how awkward he felt.

This was probably the most he talked consecutively all week, though that still didn’t stop Yamaguchi from interrupting him with an almost high pitched shriek.

“You slept in the same bed as him? Did you- did you do it, Tsukki?” It was like Yamaguchi’s enthusiasm just multiplied by ten as he jumped off the floor and tried to withhold the look of excitement on his face. Must he be so loud? It took everything in Tsukishima to not look him in the eyes right now, and he didn’t even want to see how many other people in the room were looking at him.

“Voice down, Yamaguchi, you’re drawing too much attention to us.”

“Sorry, Tsukki,” As if he just remembered the time and place they were at, he sat back down, an apologetic look on his face, “But how was I supposed to react when you tell me something like that?”

“I don’t know,” Tsukishima shrugged, and he knew he didn’t have an answer to something like that, “But we certainly didn’t do  _ that _ .”

Tsukishima couldn’t bear to repeat what they actually did that night, mainly because he didn’t believe it himself, but he knew now wasn’t the time or the place to talk about something like that. Plus, his head was filled with too many other thoughts, about the competition today, about winning, and about Kuroo.

_ Beep. Beep. _

His phone finally went off again, and he could feel the vibrations in his hand as he looked down at it. He was half expecting it to be his older brother since his mom let it slip that the second round of qualifiers would be this weekend, and he just knew that his brother would send him some kind of encouraging text message about how he couldn’t be there. His older brother was the nagging mom type like that, and Tsukishima was dreading to think that he would be waiting there for him at some point to congratulate him.

But to his surprise, the text was from Kuroo, and he wasn’t sure if his body felt more relieved or anxious because of that.

**From Kuroo:**

_ What’s this? Is my Tsukki bein cute? :O _

_ Then I accept this cuteness. :D _

_ U should b this cute when we r n person 2 ;) _

_ Good luck 2day btw, I’ll b thinkin of u <3 _

It was a bombardment of one text message after the next, like he was typing out a paragraph, and Tsukishima’s phone kept vibrating. He didn’t even have time to process what he was going to type next. Why was Kuroo like this? Though, Tsukishima couldn’t say that he regretted his decisions to be so ‘cute’. It was a different side of him and it seemed to make Kuroo happy. Though, maybe he only thought that way because he wasn’t saying these things face to face.

“Who is it? Is it Kuroo?” Yamaguchi, as excited as ever, looked over Tsukishima’s shoulder as he had the messages pulled up with that same overenthusiastic, bright look in his eyes, “You’re going to reply, aren’t you?”

“W-well…” Tsukishima stuttered, taken off guard by the by the almost determined look on Yamaguchi’s face. He thought for a second that he might take the phone away from him.

“You have to reply, Tsukki! You have to! If you won’t do it, I will.”

“What? I’m not giving you my phone, Yamaguchi. That would be-”

“Okay everyone, gather round!” Daichi yelled, standing in the center of the room with a proud look on his face, and his arms placed firmly on his hips as he called everyone over to him. His eyes drifted over towards the clock, which read that they only had ten minutes left.

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi’s conversation instantly came to a stop, and Tsukishima fidgeted with his phone, typing out a message before he shoved it deep back into his bag. He technically didn’t have to reply at all, but a part of him wanted to let Kuroo know he saw it before he performed. Maybe he just wanted him to know that he appreciated his encouragement, and after that little run in with the ‘Great King’ earlier, Tsukishima found that he would take any encouragement he could get.

**To Kuroo:**

_ We’re getting ready to perform. Thank you. _

It was a simple message, something that was so formal, and it was a major step down from the last thing he sent him, but somehow he knew that Kuroo would appreciate it. He always did.

Of course, that didn’t slip past Yamaguchi who gave him a friendly smile as they stood in a circle everyone was forming. It was the usual pre competition pep-talk. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary other than Daichi yelling out something that he thought was motivational. It only served a purpose to get everyone hyped up and excited, though Tsukishima found that it didn’t really work for him. Just seamlessly yelling seemed like it would drain your energy more than it would give you energy, but maybe that was just him.

Ever since hanging out with Kuroo, he got used to the provoking methods when it came to practice and competition. For the preliminaries, Kuroo knew how to read him and rile him up, and the same could be said for him.

After spending more than half a year on the dance team, Tsukishima began to know how to read everyone here. The yelling to get hyped up method only really worked on Hinata, Kageyama, Tanaka, and Nishinoya; where as everyone else needed something else. Yamaguchi needed peace and quiet. He needed to take a few deep breaths, to calm and relax himself, and Asahi always needed room to think. Both Daichi and Suga seemed to need to be filled with some kind of determination in order for this to work, most likely from wanting to make the last year of their high school memorable, and for Tsukishima, well, nothing seemed to work. Nothing that he would let anyone know at least.

His facial expression remained unchanged, but despite what he was feeling, he was very much hyped up right now, and it was all thanks to the run in with the ‘Great King’. He gave Tsukishima the determination he needed to make it through this day, to beat his opponents, and to keep dancing alongside Kuroo.

“Just remember everyone, it’s okay to mess up, just keep smiling. This is only the qualifiers after all, but you should still put forth your best effort.” Suga always led these pep-talks, being the vice-captain and all. He surprisingly was a lot better at words of encouragement than just about anyone else.

Though, this probably served more as a reminder than anything, since certain members (not to mention any names) had a terrible habit of falling. Not that Tsukishima was concerned about it. As long as no one would run into him, he should be fine. After that little slip up at the preliminaries with Kuroo, he felt like this should be a walk in the park despite him having to be the center of attention for ten seconds or so.

Everyone brought their attention to Daichi as Tsukishima looked up at the clock one last time. Only five minutes now. It was such a short time, but in about fifteen minutes they would be back in this room or in the hallway somewhere as they impatiently awaited the results. Something about that was more nerve racking than actually performing, and Tsukishima couldn’t wait for this day to be over.

All their hands linked into one inner circle, the traditional pep-talk cheer as they all began to yell with Daichi’s voice leading them. It was already obvious, but none of them were prepared to lose.

“Karasuno!-”

“Fight!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like nothing much happened this chapter, I don't know, like it's kind of boring, but I still hoped you guys enjoyed it. I finally got to write in Oikawa and Iwaizumi into this chapter, so that was fun. I like their friendship and the little banter that goes on between them, as well as the way they can push Tsukki and the others just enough to motivate them.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for reading, and a big thank you to my beta reader for making this chapter much more enjoyable. <3
> 
> Next chapter we will get to the actual dancing for the qualifiers, and maybe we'll meet some new characters too.


	15. Revitalization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dancing portion of the qualifiers begins and Karasuno has a run-in with an interesting team.

“So cool!” Hinata yelled again, repeating the same words of enthusiasm that he had said as they all gathered into the main gymnasium of the building.

It looked like that same row of black with all of them marching in there, this time only with a little bit of orange mixed in with it. They all seemed to sparkle, and Tsukishima didn’t even notice until now the little bit of glitter some of the members had on their face. It was mostly worn by the more flashy members, like Hinata and Suga. Tsukishima never really understood the fascination with it, having something like that stuck to his face always seemed to distract him. Plus, you’d find little pieces of it littered all around for the next week or so.

Though, when it comes to flashy outfits, they were probably somewhere on the lower end of the list.

As Tsukishima looked around the room, his eyes were brought with what looked like a normal gymnasium. There was a big wooden floor laid out on the center of the room, not dissimilar to the wooden floor that would be found in the Karasuno practice building or the Kozume dance studio. It was taking up most of the open space in the room. 

Various school banners hung near the railing of the second floor, some of the schools even having a small cheering section. Of course, the Karasuno section was practically empty, with nothing but the ‘FLY’ banner and a couple of old classmates from Ukai’s old days. On occasion, they would help the dance team out. Tsukishima remembered Yamaguchi getting dance lessons from one of them.

Off on the far side of the room sat one of the judges tables, a long rectangular table with a dark purple cloth over top of it. It looked a lot like the same one he saw when he was at the preliminaries with Kuroo. With a set of five disinterested judges all looking across the room. They all had clipboards with several pieces of paper attached to it, probably information about all the schools that were performing there today.

Judging from the clock on the wall, they probably had less than five minutes until they were on, and the last school was already performing on the center of the floor.

Despite Miyagi being one of the smaller areas around Japan, he was surprised to see just how many schools there were here, and this wasn’t even all of them, considering some of the schools weren’t even at this round.

The school that was dancing right now were all dressed in in yellow and black uniforms, the colors seemed to match the yellow ‘Johzenji’ banner that hung nearby, so he assumed they were the ones performing. Not that it mattered a huge amount to Tsukishima either way.

They probably had to be the most ostentatious team that was there, with bright yellow leotards with black sequins everywhere, and the front part of the leotard open, revealing the dancers’ chests. You could easily tell that they were going for the whole sex appeal route with their outfits and dancing.

The song sounded upbeat, like something from the eighties with lots of energy and over exaggerated movements. Watching them, Tsukishima found that he wouldn’t be surprised if they were making it up as they went along. It almost had a sense of chaos to it. On top of that, the person at the center of it all was exuding with high energy, probably their captain. He had an undercut with blonde hair on top of his head and dark hair underneath, and several piercings from what he could see.

“Ah, as energetic as ever,” Suga smiled, his voice seeming to tower over the loud music as he looked at Tsukishima and the rest of the first years behind him.

“Do you know who they are, Suga?” Hinata spoke with the same enthusiasm in his voice, and Tsukishima was now starting to regret leaving his headphones in his bag.

“Just from past competitions. They’re Johzenji High, mostly known for their simplicity and elegance.”

“Elegance?” Tsukishima didn’t mean to speak, but hearing something like that seemed to contradict what he was seeing. Looking at them, Johzenji High seemed to have a more contemporary style, not ballet or hip hop. They weren’t elegant, more like freestyling everything. They seemed to dance to the music, and somehow it seemed to work for them.

“Well, that’s what they used to be. Recently, their style started changing a lot. They used to be a school mostly known for ballet, but now they do more of stuff like  _ this _ .” Suga directed their attention towards them as their song was just finishing up.

Their captain was at the center of the area, as the other members ran over to him and they all collapsed. It was a part of the routine, and the look of exhaustion was evident on their faces. You could see the sweat pouring off of their foreheads as they stood up off the floor, and the room filled with cheers.

Intimidated probably wasn’t the word to describe how he was feeling right now, intrigued, maybe. Tsukishima didn’t really give much thought about who they would be competing with, but he knew Karasuno had improved. Everyone was focusing on Aoba Josai and Shiratorizawa, but this,  _ Johzenji,  _ was definitely a wild card.

“They’re a bit of a wild card.” Daichi stepped into the conversation, standing behind them and mimicking what Tsukishima was thinking “They got a new coach this year and their whole dance style changed, as well as their new captain, Terushima, definitely makes them a force to be reckoned with. But don’t worry, they’ve got nothing on our flying crows.” 

He always made it a point to encourage everyone, he was their captain and a third year, and he was one of the members who was there to really experience the fall of Karasuno the hardest. One could say that he was more determined than anyone else, always making sure everyone had confidence in themselves and that everyone was doing alright. There were times when even Tsukishima considered him to be a little too encouraging, but he knew that he meant well. He was the very backbone of Karasuno.

Daichi smiled, and Tsukishima felt him pat him on the back, as if he was somehow sensing the doubt in his mind. Well, based on the comments Tsukishima would make, it wasn’t that hard to figure out he was the pessimist of the group. It was just surprising that it wasn’t just Yamaguchi who knew how he was feeling.

“That was so awesome!” The captain from Johzenji yelled loudly. Tsukishima guessed it was the ‘Terushima’ Daichi just mentioned. He seemed just as full of energy now as he did when he was performing with a bright, big smile on his face as he high fived all of the members on his team, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but think that was going to be a tough act to follow.

Tsukishima always did consider Karasuno’s dance to be good. It had a little bit of everything for everyone, and it was in a style he was comfortable with, but it wasn’t necessarily flashy. The dance was about revival and revenge, building yourself from the ground up and making old things new again. It seemed to suit them and everything they had been through this school year, but there was still that thought in the back of his mind that they wouldn’t make it past this round. It was a depressing thought, but probably a realistic one, and he knew better than anyone that they couldn’t get their hopes up like that. There was always going to be someone better than you, and even though it would be depressing to come all this way and lose, it was the reality that they faced. They would have to accept it.

“Are you guys from Karasuno?” The captain of Johzenji, Terushima, stopped Hinata and Kageyama as they were approaching the floor while the other members of Karasuno slowly took their positions. Since he was right behind them, Tsukishima got stopped along with them.

“Yeah, you wanna fight?” Hinata immediately jumped on the defense, positioning his body like he was going to karate chop someone, and it took everything in Tsukishima to  not roll his eyes. What was he going to do? This guy was well over Hinata’s height and could probably take him. It was almost laughable at how stupid it was.

“No, no. I’m actually excited! I wanted to see your dancing in person. Ever since I heard you guys almost beat Aoba Josai, you’ve been making a name for yourself. So, I just had to see it in person. But man, I didn’t expect one of your star dancers to be so short.” He laughed, and you could tell he didn’t mean anything offensive by it. It was a comment, an observation, but those were the kinds of things that really riled Hinata up. If one thing got on his nerves more than anything else, it was people bringing up his height.

“Hey! I may be short, but I can jump!” Hinata, filled with determination, used the power within his legs to leap off the ground, easily jumping several inches in the air, bringing himself at least halfway up Terushima’s body. Terushima was gasping with awe as once again, Tsukishima tried not to roll his eyes.

It was impressive, he would give him that, and Tsukishima had the same expression on his face the first time he saw it too, but it was starting to get old. What good was having that kind of jumping power if you couldn’t control it? It wasn’t elegant or anything other than just jumping, but it was the best skill that Hinata had.

It happened on the day they first met, when Daichi and Suga wanted to give the first years a new routine to learn together to see what kind of skill they had. At the time Tsukishima didn’t mean anything by it, he had always been a very skilled and elegant jumper, and he was simply wondering if someone with Hinata’s height could even jump higher than the barre.

Well, Hinata being the stubborn person that he is, decided to take that as a challenge, and jumped a few inches over Tsukishima’s head. It was sloppy, and he nearly injured himself when he landed, but he still managed to win that dispute. And despite the sense of rivalry the two of them had now, with being the best jumpers on the team and all, Tsukishima couldn’t bring himself to dislike the guy. Hinata had likeable qualities, though he was still an airhead at times, and Tsukishima decided it would be better to humor than argue with him. They had a rivalry going on, but that was the thing about a rivalry, it makes you stronger.

“Hinata! You dumbass!” Kageyama yelled, moving his hand like he was going to hit Hinata but then stopped halfway, “Don’t waste your energy before we perform!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Hinata looked at him apologetically, and Tsukishima felt himself become half tempted to just walk past them.

“Anyways.” Terushima interrupted, walking past all three of them as he proceeded to join the rest of his team. “Good luck out there! My name’s Terushima, by the way. I hope we get to compete against each other at the next round.” He waved, giving a friendly smile and a peace sign as he walked away. He seemed full of so much enthusiasm that he may give Bokuto a run for his money.

“He seemed fun, don’t you think so, Kageyama?” Hinata turned to Kageyama, a cheery expression on his face as Tsukishima finally decided to ignore them and walk past them. Though, their conversation was still within an earshot.

“Not really.”

“Hey, what are getting all grumpy for? Is it because…” His sentence trailed off, and Tsukishima finally tuned them out as he took his spot on the dance floor.

He figured there was probably another ‘Hinata, you dumbass’ getting ready to come out of Kageyama’s mouth, but he didn’t care. Or maybe, he was just too focused to care. It must be nice to have such simple minded thoughts like that, especially considering how they were about to do something important, but it wasn’t like Tsukishima could be bothered with it either way. It wouldn’t affect his dancing.

It may have sounded a little selfish of him, but today there was only thing on Tsukishima’s mind: Kuroo. He wanted to dance for him and continue in this competition so he could compete against him. It wasn’t as if his confidence had returned, or found him in the first place, but right now, he was only dancing for Kuroo.

They all took their beginning poses for the dance, with Hinata and Kageyama slowly joining the rest of them. They formed two lines with Suga, Daichi, Hinata, and Kageyama in the front, and everyone else in the back. Everyone was in some sort of ballet pose, pointing their toes or extending their arms. For Tsukishima, it was always all about his legs. He felt like he was showing them off in this outfit, the black only making his legs look longer and skinnier, drawing more attention to himself.

The lights dimmed as the voice of an announcer spoke over the speakers, and they waited for the music to start.

“Presenting: Karasuno High School.” It was just about as vague of an introductory as you could get, but the music instantly started, and Tsukishima’s mind was thrusted into a whirlwind of dancing.

The song and dance started out slow, with some soft violin music playing as Suga and Daichi began dancing. The whole premise of the dance was that everyone was supposed to be like frozen statues,  _ lifeless _ , and Suga and Daichi were supposed to be waking everyone up, revitalizing them.

It started with some soft fluttery dancing between the two of them, some ballet steps here and there, a jump, a twirl, and then the two of them gracefully came to, as if they realized what was going on. During practice, they tried to drill into everyone’s head that it was about reviving and seeking revenge, that they had fallen but it wasn’t the end of them yet.

The pace of the song picked up slightly, and Daichi and Suga would move on to Hinata and Kageyama, as if they were waking them up from their slumber. The two of them would then do what they deemed their ‘couple’s routine’, combining Hinata’s fast reflexes with Kageyama’s superior technique. The two would dance in sync with one another for about fifteen seconds, then they would move on to the next person.

That was another emphasis about this dance, everyone would get to do something they were comfortable with and showcase their talents as well as their personality, with the music slightly changing as each new person came into view. It wasn’t the best routine by any means, and Tsukishima almost found himself enjoying his routine with Kuroo more, but it was unique to them that's what was important.

After Hinata and Kageyama, it went on to Tanaka and Nishinoya who also decided they wanted to do their routine together. The two of them had picked up a lot of moves from Yamamoto at the training camp, incorporating a lot of hip hop based moves in with the ballet. It didn’t really seem to fit in that much with everyone else’s, but you could tell from the goofy expressions on their faces that it showcased their personalities. They would do a few crazy tricks and spins, with Nishinoya doing a somersault and Tanaka doing a backflip in perfect timing to each other and the now fast paced music.

Their time came and went. Things moved over to Yamaguchi, the music softened down for him as Suga and Daichi touched him and he came back to life. As he began to dance, the others who had been awoken stayed by the sides of the dance floor, swaying their bodies in tune with the music and moving their arms and legs gently, as if not to distract the audience from everyone else.

Tsukishima had never noticed, but Yamaguchi really improved. He always had been the most flexible out of the entire group, and not just with his legs like Tsukishima, but he could bend his entire body in just about any direction. Honestly, he probably would have done really well at gymnastics, not just ballet.

He slowly bent his body back, resting his hands on the floor and lifting his legs above his head, as if he was doing a slow back hand spring. You could almost see his muscles moving and bending as he segued that into an elegant jump and twirl. Tsukishima felt mesmerized watching him. It was only for a few seconds and then his part was done, moving on to the next, but the effect still lingered.

Of course, up next was Tsukishima, the elegant high jumper, the ballerino of the group. Suga made sure to tell him several times that he wanted him to do lots of jumps. Though, Tsukishima’s idea for the routine was still pretty uncertain.

When it came to the dance, Suga and Daichi told them they could each choreograph their part themselves, as if they were doing flexible choreography. It was something Tsukishima had surprisingly gotten good at since working with Kuroo. Moving in time with the song was no big deal either, since it was an original composed by some guys that Tanaka’s older sister, Saeko, said she knew and who were in some indie band. If they decided to change anything in the choreography, they could change the music. Which somehow worked exceptionally well for Tsukishima.

What he did seemed to change slightly with every new practice. Sometimes he would add more twirls or do a slightly slower jump, even now he wasn’t quite sure if he would change it or not. Though, he could already hear the chastising from people he would get if he did change it. But ever since becoming dance partners with Kuroo, he got incredibly good at making things up as he went along.

For Tsukishima’s part, the music went back to something with a faster tempo, something he could easily jump and twirl to at a fast pace. He decided to start out with a spin, pointing one of his feet and then moving, twirling around about three or four times. He felt like an elegant ballerino as he moved that into a running jump, doing the splits in mid air, and kicking one of his feet again.

Like everyone else, his part was short, giving him no longer than fifteen to twenty seconds to do what he wanted to do. He only had time to do one more jump, accentuating his arms and legs as he did so. He may have just been being a little modest, but he thought he could hear a few gasps from people nearby at just how high he jumped, easily putting him over Hinata’s length if they were to do this side by side. Though, even he knew he wasn’t one for competing in something petty like that.

After him they finished off the solos with Asahi, since the other second years, like Ennoshita, said that they didn’t want to do a solo in favor of saving time for the actual group part of the dancing. Tsukishima joined the others off to the sides as Asahi stepped into the center.

Out of all the members of their dance team, Asahi was probably the one that was the most misunderstood. He had this almost daunting appearance, but his personality was the complete opposite. Daichi and Suga wanted to use this to their advantage and incorporate this into the routine by making the music that would play for him the softest of them all.

There was something about this that probably seemed weird to a lot of people, about the big, strong guy with a man bun and a slight goatee, dancing to ballet music and almost frolicking in flowers. Even his jumps and spins seemed far too elegant for someone of his stature.

The solo parts were over and by this point their routine was halfway done. It was strange to think about how it had gone by so quickly, even more so considering this routine was supposed to be a solid minute longer than his routine with Kuroo. It felt like time had hardly passed at all, and Tsukishima actually felt confident for once without Kuroo. Though, that didn’t mean this would still be easy.

There was a certain lack of fulfillment that came to not dancing with Kuroo. He was all Tsukishima could think about, and he still felt like his dancing was lacking something. Maybe he truly was passionless without Kuroo after all. Of course, it was too late to be thinking about something like that as they stepped into the group part.

They formed two lines similar to the ones they were in at the start of the dance, except this time Asahi and Nishinoya were also on the front line. Everything after the solos was a combination of timed jumps, spins, and hand and leg movements to the music.

This point of the song was that once the characters were revived they had to now overcome the  _ thing _ that beat them in the first place. Suga and Daichi wanted to make sure that there was fear and uncertainty on their faces, as well as a sense of determination. It was almost a hard feeling for Tsukishima to muster, after doing the innocence with Kuroo so much, but he knew he couldn’t give up now.

Towards the end, the song seemed to have a heavy drum beat, getting faster as the twirls and jumps got more demanding. He felt the lower half of his legs straining as he struggled to keep the height on his jumps and movements. Their dance wasn’t filled with energy, but with anguish and passion, or at least, that’s what Tsukishima and the rest of Karasuno thought.

In practice towards the end of the dance, Daichi got the idea to add in a part that embodies Karasuno, mainly embody the spirit of crows. Instead of ending the song with fists in the air, in some kind of triumphant fighting pose, he decided it would be a good idea to have the first year's end it off as if they were flying. While everyone else fell onto the ground, the first years would jump into the air, Tsukishima and Hinata, since they were the best jumpers, leading the pack, and jumping the highest. Then Yamaguchi and Kageyama would follow them and jump slightly lower. All while the rest of the members yelled out ‘Karasuno! Fly!’.

It was almost such a dumb idea that it seemed to work, and both Hinata and Tsukishima prepared themselves into the position as the music began to die down.

He pressed his feet firmly on the floor, putting all his weight into them before he pushed off, and he could see Hinata doing the same from the corner of his eye. Tsukishima felt like his whole body was about to collapse from exhaustion. Maybe he was wrong, and he did have a passion for this outside of dancing with Kuroo after all.

“Karasuno! Fly!” They yelled, the lights dimmed, and Tsukishima and Hinata collapsed on the floor with the rest of them. He didn’t even bother looking up as applause filled the room. It was nice but it didn’t matter, because the competition was only just beginning.

“I’m so bored,” Tanaka groaned as he collapsed on the floor, being over dramatic for no less than the fifth time in the past hour. His entire body laid stretched out as he griped. He looked like he was about to fall asleep, “Daichi, how much longer?”

“For the fourth time, Tanaka, they’ll start announcing them at four.” Daichi didn’t sound annoyed per se, but you could tell that the wait was getting to him. It was getting to everyone. Sometimes waiting is worse than actually performing.

After their performance, they all immediately fled back into this room. After saying thank you to a few people who congratulated them as they walked passed and then changing back into some more comfortable sweat clothes, they all collapsed. Surprisingly, Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and the guy from Johzenji were nowhere in sight. 

Most of them were doing what Tanaka was doing,laying sprawled out on the floor with a look of defeat. Tsukishima might have done the same if he didn’t have his music with him.

He put his headphones on for no less than an hour, listening to that same playlist Bokuto had made for him until he got bored with it. Then he switched it up to the stuff Kuroo put on there. It was nothing but slow rock and indie ballads he liked to listen to. He only did it because Tsukishima told him that he needed to listen to better music, so they decided to make playlists for each other as a way to broaden their tastes. Little did he know at the time, their tastes were already pretty similar. Though, Tsukishima did manage to put on there a couple of the hip hop tunes his brother would always listen to, mainly as a joke, but Kuroo insisted that he enjoyed it.

He already sent him a text telling him it was over, but as he expected, he hadn’t heard anything back. Kuroo was probably busy It was still pretty early on in the afternoon, after all. It was hard to believe they still had a little over an hour left of all of this. Right now, he could totally use the distraction of getting a perverted message from Kuroo. Anything was better than the sounds of Tanaka complaining.

Though, it wasn’t all that bad. Tsukishima was tired and so was everyone else. Both Hinata and Kageyama had fallen asleep while Suga stepped out of the room some time ago to check out the rest of the competition. He told them that he would just wait in there until the placings were delivered, so everyone didn’t have to pile in there all at the same time. It was a pretty good idea really. Though, it did leave the room to a lack of discipline.

Yamaguchi was on the verge of falling asleep next to Tsukishima, and he struggled to  even keep his eyelids open to check his phone one more time. They felt so heavy, and he swore he would doze off any minute now.

“Tsukishima, let me listen to the music on your phone. I’m dying over here.” As if Tanaka was the only other person who was still awake in the room besides Daichi, he crawled his way across the wooden floor and held out as his hand, like he was begging. Tsukishima immediately jumped back, like the instinctive part of his brain was telling him to stay away.

“What? No way.” His voice lacked emotion from how tired he was, but somehow he managed to tighten the grip he had on his phone as Tanaka inched closer. His face almost looked scary from how exhausted he looked.

“Oh, come on, you got something on there you don’t want anyone else to see? You got any nudes?”

“What are you even-”

“Tanaka, it may be best not to bother Tsukishima right now. He has a lot of his plate. He’s dancing with Kuroo too, remember? And you wouldn’t want to interrupt them if they’re talking about dancing, now would you?” Ennoshita filled in for Suga with an expression that was able to call Tanaka back almost instantly. He had said it before, but Ennoshita’s skills were definitely something to be admired.

“You weren’t asleep, Ennoshita?” Tanaka yelled with an almost panicked expression.

“No, I wasn’t. And you shouldn’t pick on the first years.”

Tsukishima wasn’t sure if he should feel grateful or relieved, but he nodded his head as he looked back down at his phone. Maybe it was just the adrenaline from performing earlier, but Tsukishima found himself in a good mood today, which was a rare sight for him. Normally at these events he was so bored and lax, just patiently waiting for it to be over so he could go home. He didn’t hate it, but he didn’t like it either. Up until recently, he didn’t like a lot of things. Most people tended to get on his nerves, and the only thing he really enjoyed were strawberry flavored sweets, until he met Kuroo.

When Tsukishima met him, he realized all those loud, obnoxious people could be entertaining and useful sometimes. He would have never considered hanging out with Bokuto or listening to Hinata and Kageyama for more than ten seconds, but now he could at least tolerate them, or even enjoy their company. He really had changed, and it was all because of a certain bedhead.

“Hinata! You idiot, you drooled on me!” Kageyama bursted up from napping on the floor, his hair messy and a slight dazed look on his face like he forgot where he was, and Tsukishima instantly regretted what he just thought.

Never mind, he couldn’t tolerate these two at all. They were loud and obnoxious, and worst of all, hot blooded people with short tempers who refused to understand anything. That was one of the main reasons why Tsukishima refused to tutor them from now on. When one of them yelled, it was the worst. Tsukishima could feel a headache forming within seconds, and no amount of music and medicine could help him.

“What?” Hinata woke up a few seconds later, mostly from Kageyama shaking him. He had drool coming down his face, and a tired look in his eyes as he struggled to remember where he was, “Nuh-uh! That’s obviously your own drool, Kageyama!”

“Like hell it is! Why would I drool on myself? It was obviously you, you dumbass!”

“Just because we’re done with performing for the day doesn’t mean you have to waste all of your unused energy, you know?” Tsukishima couldn’t resist the urge to make one of his usual snarky retorts at them. This time with his arms crossed and that same bored expression on his face.

Though, he was certain they wouldn’t hear him. He had learned by now that it was just better to let these two go at it until Daichi or Suga stepped in and since Suga was still waiting on the scores, he figured this would probably go on for a while. All they could do now was continue to wait.

Tsukishima could feel himself start to become really bored, moving his attention away from the simpletons and begin to start counting the scuff marks from shoes on the wooden floor. Half of which he was sure were probably made by Hinata and Kageyama right now. There were just the kind of people to run around a room, without caring about taking care of it properly. Then again, Tsukishima wasn’t going to do anything about it either, maybe he was just as bad as them. He was too lazy to care.

He started losing count after he got to twenty, tuning everything out until he heard the abrupt sound of the door to the room slam open, and everyone who was asleep was forced to wake up. It almost gave Yamaguchi a heart attack as he jumped off of the floor next to where Tsukishima was. He had always been kind of jumpy, which is why whenever they would have movie night together, they would never watch scary movies. e couldn’t handle them. Not that Tsukishima ever requested to watch them. He was always kind of more of a sci-fi type of person, or any movies involving dinosaurs. He figured that soon Kuroo would probably learn that about him too.

“What is it, Suga?” Daichi was the first one to speak, a look of anticipation on his face as everyone looked at Suga standing in the doorway. His face was drenched in sweat, probably from running all the way back here. His head was down so it was hard to discern if his expression was a good one, or that was preparing them for bad news. Funny enough, Tsukishima was actually hoping it would be the former.

“Did we win? Where did we place?” Tanaka spoke, almost mimicking that same expression, and everyone gathered around Suga as he slowly began to speak, his breath becoming heavy as he began to pant.

“The scoring system was a lot tougher this time, since a lot more schools entered, so they decided to only let two schools through this year. One of them was Johzenji and the other was… Karasuno.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we finally got back to some more dancing, which was rather difficult since I do believe this was the first time I've written any group dancing for this story. I couldn't quite decide what I wanted to do with this chapter in terms of having Karasuno do a flawless performance or not, but I figured it would be kind of boring if they messed up every time. So I hope you guys like it.
> 
> As always thank you guys for the support on this story, it's hard to believe we're already about halfway done with it. And thank you to my beta reader for making this chapter much more enjoyable. <3  
> Also, feel free to come chat me up on tumblr @Tettsuroo
> 
> Next time we will get to some fluffy scenes with Kuroo and Tsukki, and maybe I'll add in another character too.


	16. Birthday Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima returns home from the competition, where he receives some gifts from his brother and makes some plans with Kuroo.

“Kei, you’re back. How was your thing?” Not two seconds before getting in the door, Tsukishima was greeted with his older brother who happened to have the week off of work. Though Kei sternly told him not to come to the qualifiers, he would still be here, just as pestering as always.

“It was fine, we got through.” He said it as if it was the most basic thing in the world, slipping his shoes off and walking past his brother. Despite Kei being fifteen and his brother being twenty-two, he still towered over him.

Outside of their height and similar hair color, with his Akiteru’s, being a darker shade of blonde, the two of them were complete opposite. They heard it all the time from their family and anyone they met , but Kei was the shy introvert with terrible people skills, while Akiteru was the extrovert, the kind of person who didn’t struggle to make friends. The two of them had been close when they were younger. Kei remembers when he was in early middle school, he would always ask Akiteru about dancing. He even wanted to go to Karasuno because of him. However, things were very different now.

It may have been partially because of his job, but since Akiteru was considered a working adult, they didn’t see each other as much. They fell out of touch, and Kei’s personality only seemed to grow  more and more reserved. His brother would constantly hound him growing up about how he needed to make friends besides Yamaguchi, but Kei never found that easy. Growing up, he found just about everyone in his classes were either too noisy or too annoying. He was terrible at making friends, but that’s how it always had been.

You could say that back when he was younger, Kei used to have motivation that stemmed from his brother. He wanted to be just like him and even learned dancing from him. Of course, that all changed when he was in middle school.

A lot of his family said his personality really started to change around that time, but Kei had always been kind of a snarky, borderline rude person. He didn’t ask to be this way, it’s just how things were. 

To sum up what would be a long story that Kei hates repeating, it was his brother’s last attempt going to nationals at his third year of high school. He was in the last round of qualifiers, and even though Akiteru always told him not to come-that it would make him nervous if he showed up there-he decided to go anyway, and brought Yamaguchi along.

They stood in the higher up sections to avoid being seen, and Kei still remembers how crowded it was with Yamaguchi and him standing with some kids around their age. Karasuno was in the middle of performing when he realized he didn’t see his brother. He thought that maybe he missed him. Karasuno had a pretty extensive team back then since it was still when the school was considered a powerhouse, but no, Akiteru wasn’t there. He may not have even seen him at all if he didn’t hear that familiar yell.

Kei and Akiteru locked eyes from across the gym for only a split second, Akiteru standing over in the cheering section with a look of pure horror when he realized Kei was there. He wasn’t sure who he should be more disappointed in, Akiteru for telling him that he was the star dancer on the team or himself for actually believing in little fantasies; that if you work hard, things will pay off.

At the end of the day, it wasn’t that big of a deal. When you go to a school with a large team, the best people are chosen for the team. That’s just how it was. His brother was good, but other people were better. Akiteru may have beat himself up over it, but Kei knew better. It was just a club. There were always going to be people better than you, and there was no point in stressing over it. It wasn’t like stressing would make you better overnight. Or at least, that’s what Kei used to think.

He didn’t want to mention this to anybody, but ever since he met Kuroo, he stopped thinking about things like that.

Kuroo maintained balanced skillsets when it came to dancing. There wasn’t a particular thing that he excelled at and saying that he was the star dancer was very far-fetched, but maybe that’s what made him so ideal. He was a good captain because he was so skilled overall. He was relatable to those whose skills lacked, and could help motivate people by teaching them. He wasn’t the best, but he put his all into what he did, even somehow motivating Tsukishima. He knew how to push Tsukishima properly, so much so that he couldn’t resist falling for him. He wouldn’t let his brother know any of this, but he had changed, and he was starting to see that himself.

“You don’t sound very enthusiastic about it?” Akiteru pouted. Despite Kei being as guarded as he was, Akiteru was still his brother, and he could still tell what he was thinking some of the time. Of course, it wasn’t nearly on the same level as it was with Yamaguchi.

“I’m fine, just tired. Are we done now?” Kei shrugged, knowing he wouldn’t be able to escape this conversation so soon. His brother was stubborn, and there was no way he wouldn’t want to talk more since it had been so long since they last saw each other. Looks like Kei would just have to grin and bear it for now, or in his case, frown and bear it.

“Ah, come on, I haven’t seen you in over a month! Whenever I’m home, mom says that you’re off practicing. We should at least talk for a few minutes. Oh, by the way, I brought you a present.” Akiteru beamed with an innocent look as he ran into the living room, coming back a few seconds later with a blue paper bag. Kei didn’t recognize the design on it, but his brother did get to travel a lot for work.

“Thank you.” He spoke in his usual bland tone as he opened it. He was used to his brother picking him up sweets from foreign places. Kei had always been a big fan of any European desserts with strawberries in them, so he assumed it was something like that.

“I hope you like it. I was going to get you more sweets this time, but I wasn’t sure when I would be seeing you again and didn’t want them to spoil. So, what do you think? It’s your size, right?”

Kei’s immediate reaction was to say ‘what is this’ as he pulled the green fabric out of the bag, but even he knew when not to be rude. Did his brother seriously buy him something like this?

What he was looking at was a onesie, a bright green pajama onesie with little dinosaur designs all over it. It came with a hood and everything, and Kei wasn’t quite sure what to feel. Embarrassment seemed to be the first one, then followed by confusion as he quickly stuffed it back into the bag. What was his brother thinking? 

Akiteru was never the type to shy away from strange gifts in the past. Kei had remembered multiple times when his brother would bring him back a shirt or a mug of some sorts. Getting to travel for work meant that Akiteru got to experience a wide variety of stores, so this was something was expected. However, onesie pajamas that were better suited for an eight-year-old was something that Kei was expecting. Sometimes he really wondered what was going through his brothers head.

“You could have just mailed the sweets, you know?” Tsukishima did his best to change the subject. He knew if he gave his brother too many opportunities to talk that Akiteru would beg him to try it on, and probably take pictures. He couldn’t have that. He always hated his brother making a fuss over him, and buying him gifts like this was no exception.

“I know, but I saw this on the shelf at some store in Harajuku and thought of you. You need new pajamas anyways. Mom was just telling me that even with your allowance that you haven’t bought anything for yourself recently. Which is odd, since she says you keep going back and forth to Tokyo every other weekend.”

“Well, thank you for the present. Now then, if you’ll excuse me.” Kei wanted to get out of the conversation as quick as he could, feeling determined.

Kei had no choice but to tell his mom that he was going to be participating in a special dance tournament and needed to go back and forth to Tokyo to help train with a friend. He mainly mentioned that it was for college scholarships and that’s what she approved, but he wasn’t about to let his brother know the details. His brother was worse than their mom when it came to asking questions, and Kei knew he might just tell him anything so Akiteru would leave him alone.

“No, wait, I just got back, and I have one more present for you! Come with me into the living room.” Akiteru pried, reaching out and grabbing Kei’s arm as he started to walk down the hallway towards his room. All he could do was sigh as he followed his brother into the living room, allowing Akiteru to stop him dead in his tracks.

It was around seven in the evening. After finding out they made it to the next round, Kei’s teammates decided to all go out for dinner. So Kei already ate, but he could still see an extra place sat at the dining table for him. It reminded him that he really needed to inform his mom more about when he was or wasn’t going to be home for dinner. Since most of his diet these days consisted of protein and granola bars, he probably could use a home cooked meal.

Their living room was just as plain as always. Perfectly spotless, since the only one who was really home during the day was their mom, with a perfectly clean couch sitting in the middle of the room and a coffee table. There was already a small tea cup sitting on it, probably from Akiteru. Kei’s whole family had a affinity for tea, and he was definitely included when it came to that. He always loved the little tea set that his mom had. It was perfectly white with little brown and black cats all over. In a way, it reminded him of Kuroo.

“What is it?” Tsukishima couldn’t help but try to rush the conversation along, “It’s been a long day, I would like to go take a nap now.” As if he caught the rudeness in his own voice, Kei tried to change what he said, not wanting his brother to think he was in a bad mood. 

Kei had always been pretty self aware of just how rude he could come off from time to time. Though most of the time he didn't care enough to think anything of it, there were a couple occasions when he wanted to make sure he wasn't being overly rude. Most of those times involving Kuroo, Yamaguchi, his brother, or someone else that whose opinion he cared about. He never wanted it to seem like he was actually in a bad mood around them.

He couldn’t help but notice the small red bag sitting on the far end of the couch, and his mind immediately went to the worst. 

Kei wasn't exactly in the mood for something like this, he had yet to adjust to receiving the first gift and now he didn't know what to do with a second. His mind mulled over a list of possibilities, but knowing his brother it could be just about anything. It was hard not to panic as he thought about it.

_ Oh no, more presents. _

“Don’t sound so annoyed. I’ve been talking to mom about it and we both agree that since you’re at Karasuno now, you’re going to need better glasses. I know a guy who works on making frames at a place in Tokyo, so we opted for some sports glasses. Don’t worry, I made sure to pick out cool ones.” Akiteru handed him the bag, and Tsukishima was immediately brought face to face with a small black case when he looked inside. He didn’t hesitate when opening them, but mainly just to end this conversation sooner.

They basically looked like swimmer goggles but with prescription lenses built in. They wrapped all the way around the back of his head and mimicked the same style his frames currently had. He wasn’t quite sure how comfortable they would be, but it was certainly a better gift than the last. However, he opted not to put them on right now. He would save them for when it actually mattered, like a practice or match, and if Akiteru talked about it with their mom, then he was sure that wearing them to practice and competitions would be okay.

“Thank you.” Kei repeated himself, this time sounding more sincere than the last, even giving him a half smile as he shoved them back in the bag.

“Don’t mention it! You can just think of it as an early birthday present. Me and mom never know what to get you, so this seems like the perfect gift.”

“Birthday? Oh, right.”

“Did you forget?” Akiteru laughed. “It’s the end of September, so that means your birthday is next week. I’m sure Karasuno has some kind of dance practice planned for next weekend, so I won’t be taking any time off work to take you somewhere. You can relax. But I’ve heard Karasuno has been practicing with Nekoma again. What’s that like?”

The thought had slipped Kei’s mind. He had been so preoccupied with dancing that he forgot what month it was. Though, his birthday was never really something to cared about. It was just another year of getting older. His mom would make him an extra strawberry dessert for lunch and Yamaguchi would give him some dinosaur themed gift, and that would be the end of it. Kei probably figured he would forget about it until that day came around, but there was a new added complication to it this year that he didn’t think about until now:  _ Kuroo _ .

They were technically dating, but the two of them had never exchanged birthdays before, and this was probably a big deal to Kuroo. If it were Kuroo’s birthday, Tsukishima would want to know so he could give him a gift. So why wouldn’t Kuroo want to give him one too? He could practically hear him whining and complaining about how Kei didn’t tell him, and surely that would be more troublesome than dealing with whatever flashy thing Kuroo decided to do. He made a mental note to tell him later when he returned to his room.

“It’s fine.” Tsukishima shrugged for what he felt like was the tenth time today, “It’s no different than any Karasuno practice, just with more people.”

“Lies! You’ve got rough written all over your face when I mention it. It’s been awhile, but you know, your brother still does remember a thing or two from high school. Nekoma used to be really diverse. I heard you guys also just got back from the training camp with some of the other Tokyo schools. Have they been able to help you improve at all?”

Kei wasn’t really quite sure what his brother was insinuating with that lively tone in his voice, but he could tell that he was concerned about him. He probably figured that with all that happened to Akiteru in high school, Kei continued dancing. After the incident, Kei’s motivation and enthusiasm for just about anything seemed to be thrown away, and outside of Yamaguchi, he didn’t really have any friends either. There was no doubt that’s what his brother was implying.

“You don’t have to worry about me if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“Kei, I wasn’t-“

“I actually made a friend.” Kei wasn’t sure what in him made him want to be so honest. Maybe it was because he was actually having a heartfelt moment with his brother, or because he just wanted him to stop nagging but nevertheless, Kei continued, “I entered a dance competition with him, and that’s why I’ve been going back and forth to Tokyo so much.”

“Kei, I’m so-” Akiteru’s eyes got all wide, a smile appearing on his face as he struggled to form words. Kei had to take a step back out of fear of his brother rushing forth and pulling him into an embarrassing hug.

He was pretty sure he was about to say ‘Kei, I’m so proud of you’, and go on a several minute gush about how his ‘baby brother’ is growing up and coming out of his shell. Out of all the things his brother did, he found moments like those to be the most unbearable. Maybe it was just because he still hated having attention on him, but Tsukishima knew he needed to stop him before he finished.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s been a long day and I could use that nap. I’ll also probably be sleeping all night, so try not to disturb me.” And with that, Kei bolted for the door.

His room was just as clean as ever, bed perfectly made with all of his books perfectly aligned on his bookshelf, organized in alphabetical order. He hardly had time to use his room these days with how much he was practicing. It felt like there was really no one here to appreciate it or the ever growing dinosaur collection on his shelf. It looks like he had one more thing to add to the collection today.

He sat both the bags on his desk next to his laptop, taking out his new glasses and setting them there, hoping that he would remember to take them with him the next time to went to practice. Fortunately, they had tomorrow off and Tsukishima could use the rest. He would probably spend most of the day sleeping and then text Kuroo in the afternoon, since he always did appear to sleep in on Sundays. Though, he still wanted to make it a point to text him tonight. He may have lied to his brother, but anyone would want this kind of privacy after they had the day Tsukishima just had.

He decided to take the onesie out of his bag and hang it up in his closet, hiding it behind his school uniform and some dance gear. Honestly, he should probably hide the thing in a locked drawer somewhere. He could already hear Kuroo’s voice insisting that he model it for him the next time he was over. Though, after wearing tight leotards and leggings, this would probably be a step down in the wardrobe department.

All Tsukishima managed to do was change into the same baggy pajamas he seemed to be wearing every night now, a big purple oversized t-shirt and some baggy sweatpants, as he collapsed on his bed. He pulled out his phone, thinking he would text Kuroo and then go to sleep. He probably didn’t have nearly as exhausting of a day as Tsukishima had, but he was probably tired too.

However, to his surprise, Kuroo already beat him to it, about two minutes ago to be exact.

**From Kuroo:**

_ Tsukki. how was round 2? Did u make it? _

He wasn’t sure what came over him as he read over the text message, but before he knew it, Tsukishima’s thumb clicked on Kuroo’s name in his contacts, and then on the ‘dial’ option. He didn’t even have time to process the ringing as he was met with that familiar voice on the other end of the line.

“Tsukki? Did you mean to call me? What a pleasant surprise. Did you miss me since we couldn’t see each other this weekend?”

He figured he could come up with some excuse, say that he was tired, that he just accidentally hit the dial option, and from the tone in his voice Kuroo probably would have believed him. But this time he opted for honesty, he had been doing a lot of that lately around Kuroo.

“Not exactly,” Tsukishima sighed, still not trying to give in to that almost mushy atmosphere, “I just figured you would want to talk instead of send texts. I’m getting ready for bed now anyway. We won, by the way.”

“Ooh.” Kuroo cooed from the other line, and Tsukishima was guessing he was home right now from the tone in his voice. Despite being a pervert, he was still respectable, and he knew he wouldn’t say anything embarrassing when other people were around. Well, other people who weren’t Bokuto and Akaashi. They were always an exception to that rule, since the four of them seemed to be really good friends. Even Tsukishima was to the point where he would say that he trusted them.

“Ya’ sleepin’ in the nude? Can I see? I’ll show you what I sleep in.”

“You wish, and I already know what you sleep in.”

“Now, now, don’t be so hasty, it was just a suggestion. Though, if you wanted to, I would totally have phone sex right now.”

“I’ll pass.” Tsukishima groaned, shuddering at the thought. Though, compared to what Kuroo and him did not too long ago, it wouldn’t really be any different. Not that Tsukishima could even think about doing something like that with his brother in the house. The walls were thin, and even though his brother could be a little dense, he wasn’t stupid. Neither was Tsukishima. He was already having a hard enough time keeping his voice down.

“Congrats, by the way.” Kuroo seemed to give up on whatever direction he was trying to steer the conversation in, mentioning the thing Tsukishima thought he would. He had a pleasant tone in his voice, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but think it was cute, “Though, I already knew you made it through. Shrimpy texted Kenma, who told everyone from Nekoma ‘cause we all we’re in the changing room at the time. Good job, babe.”

“Thank you.” Tsukishima sighed of relief. Leave it to Hinata to tell Kuroo before he had a chance to. Though, that technically did make his job a little easier.

This was one of a few times him and Kuroo had spoken to each other on the phone, and it was nice to hear his voice. It sounded almost sexy, and if Tsukishima had been slightly more awake, he may have let that comment slide.

“Did you just call me ‘babe’?”

“Yep, it’s my new nickname for you. Cute, right? You can give me one too.” Kuroo seemed rather cheery, almost like a schoolgirl. If Tsukishima had to guess, he was probably sitting on his bed, neglecting his homework. Sounds like something he would do, but he was still cute.

“How about pain in the ass?” Tsukishima meant for it to come off as teasing, but his words sounded harsher than intended. 

That was always the problem with phone calls. Without seeing someone’s facial expression, it was hard to tell if they were joking or not, and the last thing he wanted was for Kuroo to think that he was mad at him. Though, nicknames had always been something Tsukishima didn’t care for. They seemed kind of gimmicky, and outside of ‘Tsukki’, he hated to be called by anything else. 

“Er… I mean…” He tried to salvage this conversation, hoping Kuroo understood he didn’t mean anything rude by it. Maybe getting called ‘babe’ wasn’t so bad.

Kuroo laughed, and Tsukishima felt relieved again. Normally Kuroo didn't come off as the type to be so serious, but Tsukishima couldn't help but hold his breath as he waited for that response. He didn't want to be rude or offend Kuroo, and if Kuroo wanted to give Tsukishima a ridiculous nickname, then maybe kitten wasn't so bad. Despite how terrible it sounded.

“I’m only kidding, if I was gonna give you a nickname, it would be something more endearing, like... kitten?”

“Kitten?” Tsukishima repeated the name, trying not to laugh. If ‘babe’ didn’t suit him, ‘kitten’ sounded ten times worse. It sounded dainty and small, which didn’t seem to fit him since Tsukishima was taller than Kuroo.

“Okay, okay, I’ll keep working on the nicknames for now. Oh, but did you hear? I don’t think your captain has told you guys yet, but Nekomata told us today. He said Karasuno is coming down next weekend for another practice. So, we can see each other and work on our routine some more. Of course, we’ll do other things too.”

They weren’t facetiming or anything, but Tsukishima was certain that Kuroo just winked. He had to, which made Tsukishima blush as the various possibilities of ‘other things’ crossed his mind. It was hard not to imagine something sexual, like making out in a broom closet, or exchanging a few kisses and touches when most members left for the evening. He had to force himself to focus again as he heard Kuroo speak up.

“Anything you want to do, Tsukki? I can show you around Tokyo some more, or we can just go back to my place and…”

“It’ll actually be my birthday, so whatever you want to do is fine, Kuroo.” Tsukishima spoke without thinking, just letting the words flow off of his tongue as he remembered that was one of the main reasons he wanted to talk to Kuroo.

He was probably shocked. Tsukishima just rattled off some important information to know about a person when you’re dating them like he was just talking about the weather. He would be in somewhat of disbelief if things were the other way around. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t actually know when Kuroo’s birthday was either. Well, it probably wasn’t anytime soon, and Kuroo would probably tell him. Unlike Tsukishima, who was waiting for whatever reaction Kuroo would have.

Though, thinking about it, they hadn’t heard this news from Daichi or coach Ukai yet. He mentioned before that they might be able to get in some more practices with Nekoma and Fukurodani before the final performance of the qualifiers, but nothing was set in stone yet. It was unsurprising, but it would be new for Tsukishima and Kuroo to have a chance to practice with the rest of Karasuno and Nekoma close by. Tsukishima desired a sense of privacy and didn't feel comfortable with everyone else seeing the dance they were working on.

“What? Why didn’t you tell me? Tsukki, I’m your boyfriend and I need to know these kinds of things! What do you like? We’ll skip out on a little bit of practice and do something fun!”

“You don’t have to do that, Kuroo, just being with you is fine. I don’t really do anything special for my birthday anyways. Plus, we’ve been dating for less than a month, so it’s not like-“ Tsukishima tried to be rational about this, but he still ended up sounding like the main character in some sappy, romance movie. He always hated stuff like this, but somehow he seemed to like it when it came to Kuroo.

“Nonsense! Everyone has something they like, Tsukki! Like how Kenma likes video games and being too lazy to dye his roots. You have to like something, so tell me.”

“Then, I guess dinosaurs and tea.” Tsukishima felt embarrassed to admit it, his face turning bright red. 

There was something that felt almost intimate about revealing his interests to Kuroo like this, and it made him curious to know what Kuroo liked as well. They, of course, knew plenty of things about each other, but Tsukishima felt like he was always curious for more when it came to Kuroo.

“Dinosaurs and tea, got it. I’ll think of something. I wonder if I can still make dinner reservations with less than a week's notice?”

“You don’t have to do that!” Tsukishima almost yelled, frantic about wondering what ideas Kuroo would come up with. He wanted to say that he wanted to know more about Kuroo too, but the words just wouldn’t come out. Then again, that was probably a good thing, considering the mushy way this conversation had turned out.

“Nonsense, it’ll be fun, plus it will help us embody the spirit of love for our dance. Maybe I’ll even give you a birthday kiss.” Kuroo laughed, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but roll his eyes at how cheesy it was, “But man, I never would have guessed that you like tea and dinosaurs. Tsukki, are you twelve? Or maybe you’re like sixty, you’re old like a dinosaur and drink tea.”

“Oh, like you’re one to talk, aren’t you into-“ Tsukishima paused mid-sentence, as if he just realized he didn’t know what Kuroo was into, making whatever snarky comeback he was about to say fade away. It became hard to hide the disgruntled tone in his voice.

In a way, Tsukishima became alarmed at the sound of his own voice, or more so, the tone. He wasn’t much for phone conversations. Even when he would talk to Yamaguchi in person, his voice was lax and apathetic  It was a completely different story when he was around Kuroo.

Maybe it was just the way that he talked or because he had a way to bring new emotions out of the people he was around, but Kuroo was different. He was perverted, but also had a soft romantic side, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but feel curious. He trusted him, and Tsukishima could feel himself becoming softer too. He started to look forward to the weekends just so he could see him. 

It was like Tsukishima was a completely changed person now, going out of his way to say or do things that he normally wouldn’t do. He was expressing new feelings and becoming less irritated than he normally found himself being. Not to mention that he had all these different thoughts floating around in his head now, thoughts of Kuroo and thoughts of the future. Tsukishima really didn't know what to do with himself.

_ Ugh _ , he was a mess right now. 

In only a few short weeks had everything changed, Tsukishima smiled more now, and he found himself being more light hearted too. Even Hinata’s annoying antics were now bearable, and even his dance was improving, and it was all thanks to Kuroo.

To think there would come a day when Tsukishima actually felt for someone else and was capable of showing it. He could even almost feel himself smile now as he listened to Kuroo’s voice on the other end.

“Something wrong, Tsukki?” Kuroo spoke with an apprehensive tone in his voice on the other end, and Tsukishima could feel that truthful side in him come out once again.

“It’s nothing, just…” He paused, contemplating if it really was okay to ask Kuroo this right now. t would be alright. He realized that if Kuroo knew he was hesitating that he would tell him not to, but Tsukishima still found it hard to ask questions so freely. He really was never one for speaking for what was on his mind.

“Actually, what are you into Kuroo? I mean, it’s only fair that I know some things that you like too.” Tsukishima smirked at the end, almost as if he was being a little condescending, turning back into his old self again. He was starting to hate just how his personality would change so much when he was talking to Kuroo.

“My, my, are you curious about me, Tsukki? Well then, I’ll tell you. I’ve always had a thing for science, I go to the planetarium from time to time, my birthday is November seventeenth, I’m terrible at cooking, I like to watch sports, and my bedhead drives me crazy! Oh, and grilled salted mackerel pike is the best! You should try Akaashi’s version of it next time.”

“Hm.” Tsukishima hummed. it was a lot of information to take in all at once, and he felt like he wanted to say something more than just ‘is that so’. He at least wanted to say something that sounded supportive, even if that meant saying something stupid. 

Tsukishima was never really one to speak up or voice his opinion, so he spent most f his time observing people, picking up on their habits. It came as not surprise that he wasn't the best at deciding what to say. He knew there was a time to be serious and a time to joke, but would making a joke truly be the right thing to say right now? Well, there was only one way to find out.

“You like salty things, so is that why you like me?”

“Tsukki, did you just… did you just make a joke?” Kuroo seemed shaken, and Tsukishima couldn’t hide the cringe on his face as he listened to what he just said. He really was a mess when he talked to Kuroo.

“I’m tired. I should go to bed.” He said that as if it was a good enough excuse, even though he knew it wasn’t, but even he knew it was a bad idea to let this conversation go on for much longer.

The sunset outside his window was growing darker and darker, and Tsukishima could feel his eyes start to slowly close and his mind doze off as he rested his head against the pillow.

“You don’t have to do anything special for my birthday, Kuroo.”

“Nonsense, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t do anything? I’ll think of something that won’t embarrass you, so don’t worry. Hey, here’s an idea, since you’ll be turning sixteen, how about I give you sixteen-“

“If you say ‘spank’, I will hang up this phone right now.”

“I was going to say ‘kisses’, but that works just as well. But hey, I never thought I would hear you say something like that, glasses, or is it that you actually like something like that?”

“I-I don’t.” Tsukishima flustered, his intentions were originally to prevent Kuroo from leading this conversation down the perverted route, but that quickly backfired, and he wasn’t sure why his face was bright red.

Well, it was fairly obvious why.

If the events of their date from the other week were any indication, their relationship sort of took the next step forward. 

He couldn’t help but want to kiss Kuroo whenever he was around him, as well as touch him, hold him, and feel his warmth. It was hard to keep a straight face when Kuroo would say something so perverse or humorous. He was funny, and a part of Tsukishima still didn’t want to admit just how much he liked him. He may have been able to find his love for dance because of Kuroo (as well as Bokuto and Akaashi), but Tsukishima also fell in love with Kuroo.

“Now, now, don’t be so anxious, it was just a suggestion.” Kuroo laughed and Tsukishima smiled in return, not that they could see the look on each others faces, but it was cute. 

Of course, Tsukishima would never admit that, as well as how cute the slightly tired tone in Kuroo’s voice was. It was dangerous, but maybe Tsukishima liked the danger.

“Oh crap,” Kuroo groaned, almost scaring Tsukishima as he jumped off of his bed. There was a sharp tone in his voice and Tsukishima couldn’t tell if he was hurt or if he just forgot something.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, I just remembered that I gotta study, I have another entrance exam coming up. I wish I could keep talking to you~” Kuroo sounded inconvenienced, and Tsukishima swore he could see the look on his face as he spoke.

“It must be tough being a third year.”

It was something Tsukishima probably didn’t want to think about. It seemed so far off and like something he wouldn’t have to deal with for another year and a half, but Kuroo was probably in a tougher spot than he was when it came to his schedule. 

Tsukishima was already starting to feel the pressure of going back and forth on the weekends, and having to memorize two different dances, but Kuroo had to balance learning multiple dances with traveling, his part time job, and studying to get into university. It was amazing that he even had time to go on dates or hang out with Tsukishima like he always did. He was impressed, and albeit surprised that Kuroo wasn’t collapsing or falling asleep right now. Maybe him being a third year meant he had experience with multi-tasking.

“Not really, I’m used to it. My parents just want me to get into a good university, so I’m applying to all kinds of places. It’s such a chore, though. Hey, can I kiss you goodnight?”

“We’re not in person though?” Tsukishima raised an eyebrow, questioning him, though he was still a bit too tired to process what he was saying.

“Then I’ll kiss you twice as much in person next time. Goodnight, Tsukki.” He could sense the smile as Kuroo blew a kiss into the phone, sending an almost warm feeling over Tsukishima as he was forced to reply.

“Goodnight, Kuroo.” Tsukishima clicked the ‘end call’ option on his phone as he rolled over in his bed, laying on his stomach as he prepared to take off his glasses and pull the covers over himself.

It was quiet, and Tsukishima was thankful for that, especially after such a chaotic day. He had other things to do and think about when he got up in the morning, like memorizing his routine with Kuroo or trying to make his part in the Karasuno dance better. There was so much more he could think about right now, like traveling and just how tough it must be for Kuroo, but that was just the thing, all he could think about was  _ Kuroo _ . It was so cheesy, but right now was really the first moment of silence he had to reflect on what had happened today.

They got through, Karasuno made it to the next round, everyone was filled with exhilaration, but the competition was only going to get tougher from here on out. They had more practices to come and more things that were going to get added to the routine. He wouldn’t be surprised if Daichi and Suga came up with some impossible stunt or trick that they wanted everyone to try out. It would probably start getting more demanding on his body too.

Still, it was hard for Tsukishima to hide the liberation that he felt. He was content and happy, because that meant he got to be with Kuroo just a little bit longer.

“Kei, are you still awake?” Right as soon as Tsukishima started to close his eyelids and drift off into sleep, he was interrupted with  _ this _ ; a loud knock on his door and the voice of his brother on the other end. He could feel a wave of annoyance wash over him, squinting his eyes and reaching for his glasses as he made his way towards the door.

What did he want?

Knowing he didn’t have a choice, since he knew his brother was the type of person who could literally stand there knocking at the door for hours if he thought Tsukishima was still awake inside, he knew he would have to get up and answer it. Akiteru wasn’t exactly the kind of person that could take a hint, and he was just the right amount of annoying. 

“What is it?” Tsukishima opened the door with a somewhat stubborn look in his eyes.

“I thought you might still be awake, so I brought some tea to help you fall asleep.” Akiteru smiled, and Tsukishima noticed the tray he was holding out in front of him. His eyes were a little fuzzy from taking off his glasses, but he could still clearly see one of the cups from that white tea set with the cats he liked so much in front of him.

“Thank you.” Tsukishima nodded, trying to be thankful for what his brother just did. He always did love tea and didn’t want to be rude.

Tsukishima politely took the tea from his brother. He knew that he would probably drink it all up immediately, right when he was going to lay back down, as a matter of fact. He was still too tired and not in the mood to have another conversation with him right now. It already felt like it had been an exhausting day, his felt like it was spinning as he tried to form the right words. He needed sleep.

“Is that all?”

“Yeah,” Akiteru shook his head up and down, nodding with that same smile on his face. Tsukishima was about to turn around and shut the door until Akiteru spoke up again, this time with an uncertain look on his face, “Kei, I might just be imagining things, but were you talking to someone? I thought I heard talking coming from your room?”

“What did you hear?”

It wasn’t that hard to figure out, considering how thin these walls were, that his brother heard bits and pieces of his conversation. It was one of the main reasons why Tsukishima tried to avoid phone calls when he wasn’t alone. There was no sense of privacy when you knew someone else could hear your conversation from a few feet away, and it was the same way now. He didn’t really have anything to hide when it came to his relationship with Kuroo, but he wasn’t exactly going to be so up front about it. It wasn’t the kind of easy topic you could mention to your family like this, and Tsukishima wasn’t exactly in the mood for having to calm down his brother from that shock.

Though, that still didn’t stop his brother from asking questions, a question that he didn’t have an answer for at that, and Tsukishima thought he felt his heart drop when he heard it.

“I didn’t hear much, just something about spanking?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I am a terrible person. This chapter took a bit longer to come out than normal, I've been busy with some life stuff that happened this week and Ive been working on some side projects that have been cutting into my writing time. But it's finally here. I've also been considering changing the upload days for this story to Tuesday instead of Friday, but I'm not sure.
> 
> Anyway, a big thank you to everyone who has been supportive of this story, as well as my beta reader for making this so much more enjoyable. <3
> 
> Next chapter we will start Tsukki's birthday, and maybe some fluff, smut, or angst will happen.
> 
> Also, feel free to come chat with me on tumblr @Tettsuroo, because I love talking about this story.


	17. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima attends the practice with Nekoma on his birthday, where he has a confrontation with Kageyama and Kuroo begins the surprises he has in store for him.

“Okay, let’s take it from the top one more time, then we’ll split off into groups and work with Nekoma. This time we should try Hinata, Kageyama, and Tsukishima being in the front line.” Suga called out, his hands steadily hovering over top of the CD player on the other side of the room, the same smile as always.

Tsukishima could feel the sweat drip off of him as he made his way into the front. They were trying out new dance moves and arrangements for the rest of the qualifiers to nationals, and just as expected, they were demanding.

Both Suga and Daichi took turns telling them to try out new jumps, spins, and lifts. Hinata fell down no less than five times, resulting in Kageyama yelling at him, and Tsukishima could have sworn his legs were made of rubber by this point. He was exhausted, but he still kept going on. He didn’t have a reason to stop. Though he wasn’t the biggest fan of putting in a lot of extra work, Tsukishima knew that complaining would get him nowhere. So, he would have to push through. They would be getting a break soon anyways.

It was the 27 th of September, Tsukishima’s birthday, and the day of another one of their practices with Nekoma to be exact. One of the few people who seemed to know what today was was Yamaguchi, who greeted Tsukishima this morning on their walk to Karasuno with giving him a dinosaur strap for his phone. It was something he did every year, usually just giving him something small like a strawberry dessert or a strap of some kind. He knew his tastes exactly, and though he didn’t show it on his face, Tsukishima was always grateful.

The only other people who were probably aware what today was were Daichi and Suga, since it was required to put his birthday on the club application. Though, asking them to remember one small detail from something that far back was a bit of a stretch. Even if anyone else knew his birthday was today, he expected them to keep it a secret. He really didn’t care when it came to celebrating his birthday. You could sort of say he never really understood the point in it. He was another year older, so what? It wasn’t like anything else happened. It wasn’t like your body changed overnight because you suddenly became older. It was pointless, and Tsukishima wasn’t exactly the kind of person who was up celebrating such things.

If it had been someone else’s birthday, he wouldn’t have cared at all, unless it was someone’s whom he felt like he was obligated to celebrate, like Yamaguchi’s, Akiteru’s, or Kuroo’s. But other than that, he wouldn’t have cared, and he expected everyone else here to do the same.

Speaking of Kuroo, Tsukishima seemed surprised that he hadn’t seen him yet today.

They had been at Nekoma for well over two hours, though nothing much had happened since then. They met at the school gate with theirs and Nekoma’s coaches exchanging a few words with each other as some of the other members slowly met them there. Most of the time at these practice days, they just let the captains take care of everything, splitting up into groups and focusing on their weak points while the coaches sit around and reminisce about old times. It sounded almost lazy, but when you’re working with a large group of people like this, sometimes it was better to just leave it up to the captains.

When they first arrived, Tsukishima instantly saw some of the members from Nekoma greet them out front.

Yamamoto and Tanaka were having a shouting match, both of them seeming to go on and on about who could stand on their head longer, with Yamamoto saying that his mohawk would be his biggest advantage at this point. Tsukishima couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he listened in on their conversation. They would be the kind of people who would enter a competition about something as dumb as that. It was already giving him a headache. Though, that was nothing compared to the headache of Hinata, Kageyama, and Kenma.

Kenma was always the quiet type, Tsukishima already knew that from the few interactions the two of them had had, but when Hinata showed up, it was like he was a completely different person. Kuroo had mentioned it before, about how Kenma always perks up whenever he sees Hinata in the room, even putting down his game and finally opening up, smiling and talking. He could still hear bits and pieces of their conversation in his head because Hinata’s voice carried so much.

Their conversation was nothing more than Hinata yelling questions at Kenma, asking him how he was doing and if they wanted to practice together today. Kenma would nod politely, the complete opposite of how Hinata was acting, though that was expected from the two of them. Tsukishima didn’t really pay much attention to them, for one reason or another, his mind was sort of preoccupied ever since he woke up this morning.

If it wasn’t for the fact that his brother woke him up with a small strawberry cake that he made, Tsukishima may have forgotten that it was his birthday at all. He wasn’t forgetful, he just didn’t care that much. It was that same old lack of motivation, he guessed. Though, that still didn’t stop him from looking for Kuroo. He really hoped that he didn’t do anything embarrassing today. He seemed way too excited when he mentioned it would be his birthday last week, and the last thing Tsukishima wanted was for Kuroo to bust in through the doors and shout ‘happy birthday’. Kuroo should have known by now that Tsukishima hated attention.

“Okay, five, six, seven, eight.” Daichi hit the button on the CD player, as Suga began clapping his hands and counting in rhythm. They had only done this new part of the routine a few times, but Tsukishima felt like his feet were moving on their own as he slowly began maneuvering across the floor.

It felt like some weird dance an idol group would do. With three of them on the front line, they would start with their backs to the audience, and spin out, placing their hands on the back of their head.

Suga continued to count, with that same sequential tone in his voice, clapping his hands in rhythm with each new step. The three of them walked around, placing Hinata in the middle of them perfectly. It was an understatement to say they were going to be the center of attention in this new part of the routine as everyone else did synchronized spins and movements behind them, and Tsukishima still wasn't quite sure if he was okay with that. Even with dancing with Kuroo, he still had some reservations about all eyes being on him. It made him feel uncomfortable, more likely that he was going to mess up, and he didn't have Kuroo there to reassure him.

For the first new jump, they wanted Hinata to be the highest, with Kageyama and Tsukishima jumping only slightly shorter than him. The two of them would do the splits in mid-air, while Hinata just did a regular front facing jump.

In a way, it was slightly difficult for Tsukishima. He was the tallest one, and ever since his training with Kuroo, he was the highest jumper. If he wanted to, he could easily surpass Hinata and jump several inches more than him, and sure, Kageyama could also jump fairly well, but matching his height up to him was going to be a new challenge.

After the jump, they went back to more basic ballet movements, with Hinata performing a backflip, while Kageyama and Tsukishima trying to match each other with their toe points and spins. The two of them had been classically trained, but looking at them, anyone would be able to tell the difference. All Tsukishima really had was his height, and despite wanting to keep dancing to compete against Kuroo, he was still lacking in motivation. His movements didn’t feel as sharp, and even his jumping felt more lax than usual; not to mention that he knew his footing was off more than a few times today. He didn’t even bother about looking at Kageyama, because he knew what kind of look he was giving him right now.

The part they wanted them to work on was small, only thirty seconds at most. Nothing was set in stone yet, with Daichi and Suga still swapping out members and positions to see what worked out best. Tsukishima considered it no big deal about how motivated he was or wasn’t right now. Despite the looks he was getting from Kageyama, Tsukishima wasn’t really in the mood for caring.

Well, caring about  _ this _ .

With the music fading out, the part they were doing came to an end, and Tsukishima and Kageyama spun, ending with their backs pressed against one another, Hinata in front of them.

“Okay, that’s a wrap. We’re going to take a ten minute break, and everyone is free to start their free practice with Nekoma after that.” Suga smiled, giving a thumbs up to tell everyone that they did a good job as he turned his back to them and ejected his phone from CD player. There Tsukishima could see him talking to Daichi as several members from the Nekoma team starting filing in the room. Still no sign of Kuroo.

He felt relieved when Daichi and Suga said everyone was going to take a break and start their free practice after this. Tsukishima felt hot and surely needed to take a step outside to cool off.

Tsukishima slouched over by a wall where his bag was, getting ready to put his regular tennis shoes on as he watched the team disband and the room liven up. Like usual, most people from Nekoma had someone from Karasuno that they considered a friend and associated with; like how right now Tanaka was talking with Yamamoto, the two of them yelling and still carrying on their head standing competition from earlier. For a bit, Tsukishima listened in on their conversation as he fiddled with his laces.

“Alright, let’s do it! I’ll bet you a week's supply of protein bars that I can do it longer than you, deal?” Yamamoto made some sort of proposition, sticking one of his hands out to Tanaka, expecting him to take it while his other hand showed off a full, black bag he had around his shoulders. Judging by the bulkiness of it, he was guessing it was probably filled with those protein bars he was talking about.

“Deal! Let’s head to the first gym.” Tanaka shook on it, surprisingly friendly as he spoke to him, and the two of them headed off. Normally, the two of them had almost a rivalry type of friendship, both of them competing with each other over the dumbest things. It was just an observation Tsukishima made, but it meant that there were two less simpletons in the room.

After they left, Kenma walked in by himself with his video game console in his hand. It was bright blue, and Tsukishima was almost surprised that he could walk all the way in here without looking up from it. Tsukishima thought about asking him where Kuroo was, but scratched that idea when he remembered Kenma wasn’t exactly the type who would keep track of that. He got about two steps into the room before Hinata took notice of him.

“Kenma!” Hinata yelled, startling Kenma as he put his game in the pocket of his red Nekoma jacket and he walked over to him.

“Hey, Shouyou, how was practice?” Even despite his soft, calm tone he was using, Kenma’s voice was still easy to pick out. Maybe because it was one of the few voices in the room that weren’t loud, but Tsukishima almost found it perplexing how someone like that could enjoy talking to Hinata.

“Awesome! How was yours, Kenma?”

“Same as always.” Kenma shrugged, and in that instance pulled the game he had been playing from  his pocket. He had an expression on his face that looked like he had nothing better to do. Tsukishima decided to use this opportunity to get up from the floor, walk past them, and make his way outside to get that fresh air he wanted so badly. 

Well, it wasn’t so much that he wanted the fresh air as that he wanted a break from a stuffy room full of people.

“Hey, Kenma! What are you playing? Can I play?” Hinata yelled loudly, making Tsukishima’s ears feel like they would bleed as he walked past them.

“Oh, this? It’s just something to pass the time; I’m not really that interested in it. But, sure.” Kenma seemed dejected as he handed the game over to Hinata, almost lax, like he didn’t care about anything at all. Though, Tsukishima knew that wasn’t true, because from the way Kuroo talked about it, Kenma’s eyes seemed to light up when he was around or talked about Hinata. It was almost cute, though, calling Hinata cute was a bit of a stretch.

Tsukishima stepped outside of the gym of Nekoma’s practice building, taking a minute for his eyes to adjust to the light. He could see a small group of people gathered underneath a nearby tree on the hill, recognizing two of them as Lev and Yaku. It looked like Lev was getting some kind of scolding, probably from skipping out on practice again. From what he saw and heard from Kuroo, Lev was the kind of person who wanted to be the star dancer but didn’t want to work on developing his weak points. Lazy would probably be a good word to describe him. He was tall and relatively simple minded, but he was always polite and curious. In a way, he was just like Hinata but more tolerable, and Tsukishima couldn’t bring himself to say that he disliked him.

“Hey! You were slacking back there!” 

However, one person he did dislike was Kageyama. He didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was. He could tell by the tone in his voice. Only one person on the entire team talks like that, and only one person is this unpleasant at every hour of the day. It was Kageyama.

“Sorry, I’ll be sure to do better next time.” Tsukishima wasn’t in the mood for humoring him or having any sort of discussion. 

Kageyama was just the kind of person that could suck the fun out of everything, and on today of all days, Tsukishima wasn’t having that. Sure, you could say that he wasn’t putting forth one-hundred percent effort back there, but they had been going at it for two hours, and Daichi and Suga weren’t giving him a hard time about it, so why did Kageyama care? Tsukishima really couldn’t stand self entitled, hot-headed people like him.

“Is this competition just a joke to you? Or is all that’s in your head now couples dancing and Kuroo?”

“Excuse me?” Tsukishima originally had no intention of flattering him with more than a few small words of conversation, but with a comment like that he couldn't help but feel himself snap. An annoyed look and tone taking over him as he met eyes with Kageyama.

“I saw your footwork back there, it wasn't pointed or anything, and your turn, it wasn't suited for group dance! It was like you were leading or expecting someone to lead you. You completely stood out, and I won’t have you ruining our chance at nationals. I’m not going to match my dancing to you.”

“Is that all?” Tsukishima seemed laxed, what once were hot blooded emotions turned to apathy He didn't have a reason to care. 

It was just Kageyama throwing around his usual banter. He wanted perfection and Tsukishima didn't want to put forth as much effort today, that was all. He had other things on his mind, and if Daichi and Suga hadn't mentioned anything to him about it, he had no reason to argue with Kageyama.

“That’s all as long as you understand that you can be easily replaced if you mess up again.”

“I’m well aware of that and don’t need you telling me that,  _ king _ .” Tsukishima clicked his tongue in annoyance as he walked past him, jerking his shoulder away as he threw Kageyama’s hand off of him.

The two of them weren’t ones for conversation with each other,  _ ever _ , but Tsukishima still didn’t need him to tell him all of this. Even training with Kuroo, Tsukishima knew he was still one of the more inferior people on the team. All he had was height and good observation skills, and even with all of years of dance experience, people like Kageyama still passed him in talent. He said it before, but there were always going to be people better than you, and Kageyama was one of them. It was nothing new for Tsukishima.

The two of them shared a brief glance with each other, each of them making some sort of grunting noise, making it fairly obvious that the two of them don’t get along before walking away.

Tsukishima didn’t even have it in him to be mad right now, Kageyama was the type of person that was good at pushing people's buttons, and right now he felt like he didn't care at all.

It was around noon and Tsukishima contemplated going to get something to eat from Nekoma’s makeshift lunch room. He wasn’t particularly hungry, but even he knew he wouldn’t last long in this heat. He usually wasn’t one for staying outside very long. He decided to go around the corner, some place quieter and free from all this noise. There were too many people nearby, and right now Tsukishima didn’t like feeling so crowded.

He turned the corner of the large brick Nekoma practice building. It was a much smaller, more narrow path, with an open black door that Tsukishima assumed led to a storage area. There was also a small tree, providing shade as he walked along the sidewalk there. He figured he would walk along this for about five or ten minutes and then head back inside. Maybe he could find Kuroo or just hang out with Yamaguchi. It was so odd that he hadn’t seen Kuroo yet today. Given his personality, he figured Kuroo would run up to him the second he got off of the Karasuno bus.

Well, it wasn’t something he should really concern himself with. The two of them were dating, but if Kuroo had other responsibilities like his job, practicing with Nekoma, or doing another entrance exam, then that should have been more important. Plus, it was almost relieving to think that he wouldn’t have to witness anything embarrassing on his birthday.

“There you are.” 

As Tsukishima walked by the open door, the one to that storage room, he was met with two strong arms grabbing him and pulling him inside, with one around his waist and the other around his mouth. He almost thought the person mistook him for someone else, until he saw those beautiful cat-like eyes as they shoved him up against the wall of the storage room. 

“Did you miss me?”

Tsukishima moved his hands up and forced Kuroo to take his hand off of his mouth, smirking at him almost in satisfaction. 

“Please, don’t tell me this is your idea of romantic?” Tsukishima looked around the room, nothing but shelves of extra storage supplies and a mop lining the dark walls. If it wasn’t for the sun coming in through the open door, this room would have been completely dark.

“Well, would you have preferred me to interrupt Karasuno’s rehearsal and drag you out of it?” Kuroo leaned in closer to him  _ -teasing- _ and for some reason his presence seemed more looming. Maybe that was just because they hadn’t seen each other in two weeks thanks to the qualifiers, but something about him seemed different.

Tsukishima shrugged, weighing his options as he turned his head to the side. Despite what just happened with Kageyama, Tsukishima found himself in a good mood. Then again, maybe that was just because Kuroo was here. It felt like he hadn’t seen him in so long, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to this day at least a little bit. Of course, there was no way he would let Kuroo know that. If anything, he was fighting the urge to kiss him right now. He could see that familiar flavored balm on his lips, and was that the scent of strawberries he was smelling?

“It’s not the worst thing you could do.” Tsukishima forced a disinterested tone in his voice, even though he was anything but. 

He may have liked Kuroo, and they may have been dating, but he was still having a hard time showing his emotions when it came to anything like this. Kuroo was his first, which made dealing with this all the more difficult.

“What’s with that laidback tone?” Kuroo pried, and Tsukishima knew he was anything but serious right now, “Is my cute Tsukki being nervous?”

“I have no idea what you’re-“

“You can be all cute today too, like you were on the phone the other day. Hey, Tsukki, can I kiss you?” Kuroo seemed hell-bent on steering this conversation, with an almost toxic look in his eyes as he placed his hands on both sides of Tsukishima’s face, forcing him to look at him. It was a sure way to get the ever cool Tsukishima flustered.

“You’ve never asked before.”

“I know, but it’s your birthday today. Happy birthday, Tsukki. Can I do it? Hm?” Kuroo almost had a sweet sound at the end of his voice, and Tsukishima had a hard time deciding if that made it cute or creepy. He was being overly mushy, and Tsukishima couldn't decide if he should let him continue or stop him. He wasn’t exactly the affectionate type, but as he was slowly learning, Kuroo was always an exception.

Though it was Tsukishima’s birthday, and he was still going to do what he wanted.

He leaned forward, almost catching Kuroo of guard as he placed a hand on the center of his chest, feeling the soft fabric from the red t-shirt. Thanks to his height and how Kuroo was leaning, Tsukishima easily towered over him, pressing their lips together in one swift motion.

It was sweet and passionate, starting out with a small peck of the lips, and Tsukishima could taste the strawberry flavor of the balm as he went in for more. He felt Kuroo wrap his hands around him, one around his waist, looping around him and pressing right on his hip, and the other moving up to his face, caressing the side of his cheek. He could feel his tongue slip into his mouth as he let himself indulge further.

Tsukishima could feel his breath quicken as he came up for air one time before stealing another kiss. He could feel a slight moist feeling on his lips before going back in again, and a sensation of uncertainty seemed to wash over him. It felt extraordinary to be able to touch Kuroo again. It had only been two weeks, but it felt like he was going through some kind of withdrawal, a drought from Kuroo. It was almost scary at just how easy Tsukishima to lost control now, even kissing turning his whole body hot.

Their lips departed with another sharp breath, this time from Kuroo. He was panting as he let go of him and rested his hands on his knees. He almost looked bent in half, exhausted, but Tsukishima knew better than that. He wasn’t tired at all, he was restraining himself.

“Tsukki, are you-“ He began, straightening his body up, moving closer again, only to be interrupted by looking over Tsukishima’s shoulder. This explained that uncertainty that Tsukishima was feeling.

It was hard to imagine just how careless they were. Their relationship wasn’t secret or anything, but anybody could just walk by. The door was open after all, and it wasn’t like the two of them missing would be any kind of secret right now.

“So, this is where you two ran off to.” The person standing in the doorway smiled, a seemingly innocent expression as the sun beat down behind him, but Tsukishima knew better. He knew this person and knew that he was not so innocent.

“Suga? What are you…” Tsukishima couldn’t even finish his sentence as he pushed Kuroo’s hands away from him. He just stood there, blinking his eyes a few times with a perplexed look. What was Suga doing here, and what was with that look on his face right now?

“Don’t look so frightened,” He laughed, and Tsukishima forced himself at ease, standing next to Kuroo with a curious look on his face, “I was helping Daichi clean up before free practice starts and we ran out of supplies. I didn’t expect to find you two here. Tell me, Kuroo, is this where the members of Nekoma take someone to make out?” Suga still had that same carefree smirk on his face, and it was hard to tell what he meant by that comment. He seemed like he was joking, but the tone in his voice didn’t seem so cheerful.

“Um..” Kuroo seemed hesitant, turning his face to the side and rubbing the back of his head, an almost embarrassed look on his face.

Well, Suga was sort of the mom of the Karasuno group, the one who took care of things and seemed concerned when they weren’t in sight. He also had pretty keen observation skills. It would be a surprise if he didn’t notice any of this by some point. There should have never been a doubt in Tsukishima’s mind that Suga would have wanted to know if any of the members were dating someone from a rival team. He cared about everyone, and the fact that Suga didn't seem like he disapproved should have been a good thing.

That being said, it still didn’t shake the slight anxious look on Kuroo’s face. If Suga was the mom in the group, then that would mean Kuroo would need Suga’s approval for something. It explained the look on his face and Tsukishima couldn’t help but smirk. In all the times he had known Kuroo, his expressions mostly stayed with that provoking, smug look, slightly perverted. It was almost refreshing to see a look like this. Though, maybe thinking that in this instance wasn’t the best idea.

“Don’t worry, I was only joking. Tsukishima is free to do whatever with whoever he wants,” Suga laughed -still smirking- a slight look of relief overcame Kuroo.

It was humorous to see Kuroo reacting in such a way. It wasn’t like Suga could really effect the two of them being together or not. Though, Suga’s wording did cause an unwanted feeling all over Tsukishima. Out of all the people that could have seen them like this, he was happy it was Suga and not someone else, but that still didn’t make it any better. The vice-captain of his dance team pretty much witnessed him and the captain of their rival team kissing for who knows how many minutes. 

It was awkward.

“It’s just a good thing that it was me who went in here instead of Daichi,” He laughed, trying to ease the tension, “And I’m sure you know this, Tsukishima, but Daichi doesn’t think any of the precious first years are capable of doing something perverse. Try to be careful around him, okay? Have fun you two.” Suga kept that smile, turning his head and winking as he grabbed a box of spare supplies from one of the shelves and preparing to walk away. But once again, his wording seemed oddly peculiar. Tsukishima couldn’t help but say something.

“Wait, Suga, how much of that did you see and hear?”

“Huh?” He turned around, looking directly at Tsukishima as he stuck his head out of the doorway, “I stepped in right about the part where Kuroo was begging to kiss you. I had completely forgotten that it was your birthday, but it’s nice to see that Kuroo’s taking care of you. Right, Kuroo?”

“Uh, yeah,” Kuroo continued to rub the back of his head, seeming frazzled, like he had to win the approval of Suga in order for Tsukishima and them to continue to be together, “Don’t worry, Suga. I’m taking excellent care of him.” In a matter of seconds, Kuroo’s personality switched back to normal, coming up behind Tsukishima and wrapped his arms around him, taking him off guard. He forced himself to escape his grasp one more time.

“Does that mean you’re okay with our relationship?”

“I don’t have a problem with it. You’re not a child, and despite what the team thinks, I’m not your mom. Though, dating the captain of Nekoma probably wouldn’t be the thing everyone would approve of. Just be careful, okay? Oh, and if you two decide to  _ do it _ , you know, make sure you use-“

“-Suga!” Tsukishima forced himself to interrupt, though he knew what he was saying. 

It was embarrassing how he could even imply something so inappropriate in front of the two of them. Suga was probably the kind of person that didn’t get embarrassed. What was probably more embarrassing was if Suga hadn’t come into the room, Tsukishima and Kuroo may have actually done it. This whole day had turned so awkward in the matter of a few seconds.

“Right, right.” Suga kept his words short, nodding as he walked away, and Tsukishima stepped back into the dark room with Kuroo. 

The mood seemed kind of soured. There was no way the two of them could just go back to what kissing, and somehow Tsukishima still couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

The dark of the room and little stream of light coming in from the open door made Kuroo’s face hard to read. He could only see half of it, and the half he could see was covered by his bed head, hiding his eyes. It was difficult to discern if he was smirking right now or not.

“That went well.” Kuroo grinned, fully stepping into the light, and Tsukishima forced himself to smirk in response.

He wasn’t in a bad mood, but he could still feel his brain running a million miles a minute as he tried to process what just happened. It was only a coincidence, but Suga’s timing was impeccable, and he was right. If one of the other members of Karasuno or Nekoma -if  _ someone else _ \- had come in instead, with the exception of a few like Yamaguchi or Kenma, this would have been an entirely different conversation... a conversation that Tsukishima wasn’t sure he was ready for. 

He already had dancing and Kuroo on his mind; he didn’t need to add another concern on top of that.

Though, Suga was friendly. He had always been the friendly type, ever since the first day the first years were welcomed onto the Karasuno team. He was the third year that gave off the most amicable vibe, but Tsukishima still couldn’t help but be cautious around him. The whole thought of anyone seeing him and Kuroo like that freaked him out a little bit, and he wasn’t quite sure how to handle it.

Tsukishima smirked, forcing himself to shake whatever feeling this was out of him. He knew he needed to say something to Kuroo, but he also wanted to drop the subject, moving to the real reason why they were here. Well, one of the reasons. He knew that Kuroo had something planned for him today, mainly because he kept bragging about it over text messages, and he couldn’t help but be a little curious. Mostly worried. With someone like Kuroo, there was no telling what kind of ideas he was capable of coming up with.

Still, he didn’t have a choice but to ask him.

“So, what is this  _ thing _ you have planned today?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm sorry this chapter took what felt like almost 2 weeks to get out. Life's been very stressful recently, and I've been busy writing some other things as well as university is starting up next week for me, so I haven't had much time to write, but here it is. Updates might be a little infrequent for the next couple weeks or so, but don't worry, I will not abandon this story.
> 
> As always, thank you guys so much for reading, and thank you to my beta reader for making this chapter so much better. <3
> 
> Next chapter we continue with Tsukki's birthday and maybe a certain someone affiliated with snakes may show up. ;3


	18. Snakes In Shoppes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo takes Tsukishima on the date he has planned for him for his birthday, where they run into an interesting person while having tea.

“So, what do you think? Am I the best boyfriend ever or what?”

“Where are we, Kuroo?”

“Huh? What do you mean where are we? It’s a tea shop, of course. You told me you like tea, remember?” Kuroo smirked that same, signature look as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but look at him puzzled.

It felt like an exact repeat of when they went to the bowling alley.

After the incident with Suga in the storage room that Tsukishima would much rather forget, Kuroo and he slipped away, walking several blocks to one of the bigger hubs of Tokyo. Tsukishima, of course, had no idea where he was going. He followed Kuroo past a mall and down another alley. All of the shops and cafes seemed nameless, no sign in the windows. If he didn’t know better, Tsukishima would have thought Kuroo didn’t know what he was doing, and they were about to get mugged. Was this a prank? It had to be a prank, but the look of confidence on Kuroo’s face was telling him otherwise.

“I said that, but I didn’t think you would actually pick to go to something like this.” He felt ashamed, confounded. This was Kuroo’s idea of a birthday gift? Well, it wasn’t like Tsukishima wasn’t into this sort of events. His brother and he would go to tea shops all the time when they were younger, but it still felt like Kuroo was doing a bit too much. Was this place even safe?

“What’s with that face? Don’t like it?” Kuroo pouted and Tsukishima knew that he was kidding. Even when they were dating he still loved to rile him up.

“No, it’s not, it’s just-” 

Tsukishima didn’t want to disappoint Kuroo. 

He didn’t really consider this a possibility in the realm of terrible birthday ideas, so he didn’t know how to prepare himself. The last thing Tsukishima wanted to be was rude, especially to Kuroo. He clearly put a lot of thought and effort into this, and even though he still wasn’t the best when it came to showing his feelings, he knew that he needed to show Kuroo how much he felt and appreciated this. Though, it seemed that Kuroo was the one doing the appreciating.

Kuroo knew Tsukishima too well He knew that he wasn’t the best when it came to being vocal or showing his emotions. He wasn’t the romantic type and was still coming to grips with expressing his feelings verbally to another person, but Kuroo took all of that into consideration. Kuroo even knew how flustered Tsukishima tended to get when it came to being put on the spot or showing affection, wasting no time and interrupting him with a small peck on the lips, departing them before he spoke again.

“Don’t worry, I got you a present, too. I’ll give it to you after we have tea. Come on, I got reservations.” Kuroo smiled, motioning towards the door of the unnamed tea shop, and Tsukishima felt like he had no choice but to go in.  Stubbornly, he took Kuroo’s hand, sliding the door open, and entering a room that was the exact opposite of what he was expecting.

The inside looked pretty modern with bright lights, plants, and wood everywhere. Tsukishima wasn’t sure what his mind imagined before walking in here, but he had heard stories of people going into shady shops in back alleys, never being heard from again. Tsukishima felt relieved to realize this was an actual business, ran by actual people.

When they first walked in, there was a wooden reception desk with a woman probably around her mid-twenties working behind the counter. There were several wooden shelves of tea cups, tea sets, and tea leaves arranged behind her. Most of the cups were white with varying flower designs. Everything was brightly lit, making it easy to see every detail on them. Tsukishima scanned over them all briefly as he waited for Kuroo to get the attention of the woman behind the desk.

“Kuroo, for two.” He spoke softly, and the woman smiled, escorting them to one of the many couples tables, all with the same wood design and a small emblem of a tree on the back of the chairs. Tsukishima guessed it was the emblem of the  place, not that he was going to ask the name, but it was still a nice touch.

As the woman walked them back to the table in the farthest corner, the one with the most privacy, Tsukishima was starting to feel like he and Kuroo were a little underdressed. If he would have known Kuroo was taking him to a this sort of place, he would have at least packed his school uniform or something. He felt like the two of them really stood out wearing nothing but gym clothes. Kuroo had on his red ‘Nekoma’ jacket and pants, but Tsukishima was just in a regular white t-shirt and leggings. He felt like a place like this should have a dress code. 

Well, since they were the only ones here, it probably didn’t matter too much.

They sat down with Kuroo nearest to the wall and Tsukishima opposite of him. There was a small, white menu lying in front of them on the table with various teas listed, and a brown vase with a plant sitting in the corner of the room as a decoration.

Everything felt a little overwhelming. This was more like the date Tsukishima envisioned when Kuroo and he first started dating, but he somehow felt like he couldn’t handle it. 

_ What do people say on dates, especially dates like this? _

Tsukishima couldn’t help but drift his eyes over to Kuroo who had a borderline eager expression as he rested his elbows on the table, grinning ear to ear as he was doing nothing but staring at him. Tsukishima couldn’t help but look away. There was something about his eyes that seemed far too looming right now, making him lose focus as he forced himself to pick up the menu and start reading over it.

“So, what are you having?” Tsukishima asked casually, looking over the options on the menu. He felt awkward as his eyes drifted up to look at Kuroo who was now doing the same. He seemed calm as he kept one of his elbows on the table, resting the other against the side of his face.

“I’m not really good at this tea stuff, Tsukki, so I’ll have what you order.” Kuroo smiled, sliding his menu back into the center of the table, and Tsukishima looked at him with a puzzled look, shrugging as if to say  ‘okay’.

When it came down to tea, Tsukishima had experienced it since he was young, his mother and grandmother both had a love for the hobby. So, he and his brother grew up knowing a lot about it. It all stemmed from his mom teaching him when he was young, so much so that he felt like he could probably name everything that went into making every single different type of tea on this menu. He always did have a good memory, especially when it came to studying and memorization. Though, ordering wasn’t exactly the kind of thing he was concerned with right now.

Tsukishima would be lying if he said he didn’t have a lot on his mind. He was with Kuroo in a secluded café with the only other person around being an employee. They could talk about anything, and that smile on Kuroo’s face only seemed to solidify that. However, he still couldn’t shake the unease in the pit of his stomach, like the calm before the storm. 

Maybe it’s just because it was his birthday and he wasn’t exactly one for celebrating, but something felt odd. Tsukishima just assumed it was the atmosphere. It felt far too lovey-dovey for what should have been a normal tea shop. It felt weird, like there was something preventing him from being happy. He was with Kuroo. Kuroo did all this for him, thought this out for him. If anything, Tsukishima should feel overjoyed right about now. However, he wasn’t.

“Alright, I’ll order for you, then.” Tsukishima placed the menu back down on the table in front of him, forcing a half smile to turn up at the corner of his lips. 

Given how Kuroo wasn’t into tea, he figured that he would need to order up something simple. Which, at a back alley tea shop like this, might be a little difficult. 

“You know, you really didn’t have to do this today, Kuroo.”

“Huh? Nonsense, you’re my boyfriend, Tsukki.” Kuroo smiled wholeheartedly as he placed his other elbow on the table. “It’s your birthday, so why wouldn’t I want to do something for you? Is something wrong? Oh, that reminds me.” Kuroo snapped up, taking his elbows off of the table and reaching into his ‘Nekoma’ bag.

It was bright red and seemed rather bulky right now, Tsukishima assumed that it was filled with extra clothes, but he was surprised to see Kuroo pull out a bag. It was the same bright Nekoma red with the name ‘Tsukki’ written on it with a permanent marker in sloppy handwriting. Tsukishima couldn’t help but stare at him curiously as he handed it to him.

“What is this?” Tsukishima asked as he took it from him, setting the big red bag in his lap, with Kuroo still looking at him. This must have been the gift Kuroo was talking about earlier.

“It’s a gift, silly. Open it.” Kuroo smiled again, and Tsukishima knew that there was no way to get out of this.

If it wasn’t already obvious from the way he acted when they got the new outfits for Karasuno, he didn’t like opening or trying on things in front of people. It was awkward, to say the least. All of the attention that they put on him, that almost looming expression, made him feel uncomfortable. It was the same as when his brother got him the dinosaur onesie and glasses. He appreciated the thought, but when receiving gift unexpectedly, and even more so when he didn’t know what it was, it can be hard to have a genuine reaction.

It was something that Tsukishima knew he struggled with, with or without dance. He knew how terrible he was at showing emotions, and he especially didn’t want to deal with the worry right now of not being genuine with Kuroo.

In a way, Tsukishima was almost there, as far as emotions go. Kuroo and him had been dating for just about a month now, which was honestly better than he expected, and things shouldn’t still feel so awkward for him. It was like Tsukishima was almost to the point where he could be completely open with Kuroo, but he wasn’t quite there yet. 

Though, Tsukishima knew Kuroo well enough to know that there was no way he could get out of opening his gift. He was persistent and stubborn. That was evident just from the time during training camp that Tsukishima spent with him. He could already hear him provoking and teasing if he tried to tell him that he would do this later. So, he had no other choice than to open the gift here in the tea shoppe.

He unfolded the bag, setting it out on the table for Kuroo to have a clear view. Tsukishima remained  curious as he pulled a small black box out of the bag, buried under at least a pound of tissue paper. He lifted up the lid to the box and he was sure the surprised look on his face seemed genuine as he pulled out the gift.

“Thank you, Kuroo.”

“Heh, do you like it?” Kuroo laughed, pleased, “I was passing by a tea shop near one of the malls here. I saw it and I thought of you. It’s not much, but it’s handcrafted and hand painted.”

“It’s impressive. Thank you, again, Kuroo.” His voice sounded bland, like he wasn’t even thanking him at all, but he could tell from the look in Kuroo’s eyes that Kuroo knew he was being sincere.

Tsukishima couldn’t help but examine it, taking the tea set out of the box and holding it in his hand. In a way, it reminded him of the tea set his mom had back home with the cats painted on it. This one was similar, but instead of cats it had green dinosaurs wrapping around the side of each cup, with three of them in total, a T-rex, a stegosaurus, and a velociraptor. It was beautiful. Well, beautiful might not have been the right word, but Tsukishima loved it either way.

“Don’t mention it.” Kuroo laughed again, leaning forward and planting a kiss on Tsukishima’s lips. He could see the scheming look in his eyes as he did it, as if he was plotting and planning for the most opportune moment.

Well, Tsukishima let it slide just this one time. He happened to be in a fairly good mood right now as is. Though that still didn’t stop Kuroo’s kisses from always catching him off guard, especially when he did the soft and sweet peck on the lips like that. He couldn’t help but put that half smirk back on his face as he put the teacup back into the bag. It was hard to tell, but in this moment, he was grateful.

“Okay, now that that’s done.” Kuroo clapped his hands, as if they just finished a hard day of dance practice. It didn’t seem to fit since that clap was so loud that anyone else who happened to be in the tea shop could have heard them. Not that anyone else would care, since this place still seemed pretty barren. “Let’s order some tea.”

  
  


“Thank you.” Tsukishima nodded politely as the employee brought the two of them a single cup each, both in a plain white tea cups with a smile. Kuroo blew on it, probably knowing that it would be hot.

Tsukishima opted for green tea with a hint of vanilla. Simple, yet elegant enough to where he knew both Kuroo and him would enjoy it. The scent of vanilla filled his senses as Tsukishima let it stew there for a moment, cooling off as he picked the conversation back up with Kuroo.

“Are you sensitive to hot things?” Tsukishima asked as he brought the cup up to his lips, blowing it off for a second before drinking it. He could feel the warm texture of it burn its way down his throat. 

There really was something calming about drinking tea in the afternoon like this, even more so when the tea was coated with vanilla and had minimal sugar. It was refreshing but not overly sweet, just how Tsukishima liked it.

However, Kuroo seemed to be the exact opposite of Tsukishima right now, sitting across from him at that small table, and fidgeting his fingers as he blew on the tea again. He knew Kuroo mentioned that he wasn’t the biggest fan of tea and knew next to nothing about it, but did he really have to be so hesitant? Tsukishima didn’t think so.

“It’s not that I don’t like it, I’ve always just had a really sensitive tongue to hot things. Yamamoto still makes fun of me for it.” Kuroo laughed, something that seemed more sincere than before as he tilted his head to the side. 

Tsukishima forced himself to nod as Kuroo finally brought the cup up to his lips, still with that same hesitation.

He slurped it, which was probably the funniest part, only taking a sip for no more than five seconds and then setting the cup back on the table. He  looked off into the distance, as if he was trying to decide if he liked it. Tea can always be one of those tricky things, and it wasn’t exactly the kind of thing some people are always up for. Though, it didn’t matter to Tsukishima if Kuroo liked it or not. He didn’t intend to be going to a tea shop with him, but here they were. 

In his mind, he wasn’t expecting much from Kuroo when it came to going out for tea. They had only known each other for a few months after all, and the fact that he even wanted to celebrate Tsukishima’s birthday was remarkable enough. Still, it would be nice for him and Kuroo to share this in common.

Outside of dance, the two of them had similar enough personalities, but were still considerably different. Kuroo was the slightly outgoing attractive type, who liked to provoke and tease, and always took care of his friends; while Tsukishima was the more reserved type, he didn’t go out much outside of dancing, and he lacked in most social skills. It was amazing that he even had friends at all, and yet, the two of them seemed to share a connection, both similar and different enough to learn from each other. 

Tsukishima was learning a lot from Kuroo, though he still didn’t think he had anything to offer him in return. Well, that wasn’t true. He did have one thing he could offer him...   _ dancing. _

He was his dance partner now, and in order to make Kuroo’s final year memorable, he was going to try as hard as he could.

“Delicious.” Kuroo smiled, several seconds had passed since he had taken a sip, and a look of contentment was on his face.. Somehow, that relieved Tsukishima and he smiled.

“You actually like it?” He raised an eyebrow at him, surprised. He pictured Kuroo as more of a coffee type of guy, or actually, maybe more of a soda type.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “My parents were always big on coffee, so I grew up drinking it, but this has a certain flavor and texture that feels unique. I don’t know, maybe you know more about this than I do, but I really liked it, Tsukki.”

“Well, I’m glad.” Tsukishima smirked, slouching back in his chair as the conversation took a much more comfortable turn. “I was just thinking that you didn’t have to-“

What he was going to say was that he didn’t have to drink it if he didn’t want to. Kuroo was actually one a few people his age that Tsukishima actually admired, and on top of being his boyfriend, he didn’t want to make him do anything that he didn’t want to do. It sounded kind of mushy, but he was sure that Kuroo thought of it the same way. 

Every time they were together, Kuroo would still be the provoking, teasing type, but he never stopped being caring and considerate for him, getting permission before he kissed him, and asking him if this was really what he wanted to do. It really was true what he said back at the training camp; he takes care of his teammates, and even more so, his boyfriend.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tsukishima could see someone with a familiar figure approaching the table, distracting him and Kuroo as they turned their full attention to this person. Tsukishima’s sentence trailed off. He didn’t expect to be seeing anyone else here.

The closer they got, the more they came into view, and Tsukishima was slowly starting to recognize the features on his face. He had only seen him once before but it was still fairly obvious who it was.

Outside of all of the glitter and bright green attire that he had recognized him with before, that slight crooked smile and perfectly combed hair stood out more than anything. What was he doing here?

“My, my, I didn’t expect to see you here, Kuroo, and with Tsukki, too? What a pleasant surprise. How’s dancing going, and how’s dating life going?”

Kuroo sneered, and Tsukishima couldn’t tell if it was out disgust or surprise. From what he knew, he still wasn’t quite sure how well Kuroo got along with this person. Though, from what Tsukishima had seen, it was more of the rivalry type of friendship, but he couldn’t help but stare at Kuroo with a confounded expression as he sneered out this person’s name, sucking all the life out of the room.

“Daishou. What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here? This is a public tea shop, Kuroo.” Daishou smiled, cocking his head to the side in a slimy manner. Maybe it was just all of the green that he was wearing, with a blazer from Nohebi being the main feature of it. It might have just been his smile mixed in with all that green, but he really was the embodiment of a snake. “Did I interrupt the lovers on a special day?”

There was a certain condescending tone in his voice as he placed one hand on his hip. A slight chuckle escaped him and he had a conniving look. He wasn’t exactly the kind of person who had an air of superiority around him, like Kageyama, but Tsukishima couldn’t shake the feeling that he was up to something. He was one of Kuroo’s friends, though ‘friend’ was a bit of a stretch. The two liked to rile each other up, and they knew each other pretty well. Though, it was still hard to think that he was here just by a coincidence. Today really had turned into a troublesome birthday.

“It’s actually Tsukki’s birthday.” Kuroo pointed to Tsukishima, like he was bragging, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but flinch ever so slightly in surprise. It may have only been one person, but he didn’t like this sudden attention.

“It is? Then, happy birthday. I would ask you if I could give you my own kind of present, but I don’t think Kuroo would like that.” Daishou smirked, bringing his hand up and placing on his chin. 

Tsukishima felt like Daishou was looking directly at him, seeing through him and analyzing him for a reaction. He also didn't miss the way that snake’s tongue licked over his lips, coy and flirty. It took everything in Tsukishima not to show disgust on his face as they carried on the conversation with Daishou. 

“Is everything going well with dancing for you two? No more slip ups?” He said with such a lax tone that he might has well not said it at all, sounding dismissive as he changed the subject. Though, it was probably a good thing, Tsukishima couldn’t quite get over how lax he was right now.

Daishou was one of the few driving forces behind Kuroo and Tsukishima’s new relationship to begin with. They would have never done the impulsive fake dating thing at the preliminaries if it wasn’t for him. In a way, they should probably thank him. 

Not that Tsukishima was going to swing the conversation in that direction, but this was only the second time he had seen him, and outside of Kenma, Bokuto, and Akaashi, Tsukishima didn’t really know much about Kuroo’s friends. It would be nice to get to know them just a bit better. Though, something like that would be best suited for another time. All Tsukishima could think of was how Kuroo could be friends with someone so supercilious.

“Things are going fine. You better be careful, because for what Tsukki and I’ve got planned, we’re going to be the winners this year!” Kuroo hummed, a smug look spreading on his face as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. It was hard not to acknowledge the annoyed tone. 

Between Suga interrupting them in the storage room and now this, Tsukishima was starting to regret telling Kuroo about his birthday at all.

“Is that so?” Daishou seemed unamused, that curious look melting into a frown. “It must be tough travelling back and forth, Tsukishima, if only you lived closer together.”

“It’s fine, honestly.” Tsukishima shrugged, averting his eyes and trying to keep conversation minimal. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Daishou, it’s just that he didn’t know much about him. He had no connection to him like he did with Akaashi and Bokuto. For all he knew, he was planning to sabotage them or something. He seemed like the kind of guy that would do that, and given how Tsukishima had just gotten into a good mood, he wasn’t exactly willing to have a conversation with him right now.

“Really? I figured it would be kind of a struggle for you. Aren’t the end of the Miyagi qualifiers coming up soon?”

“The last weekend of October, about five weeks away.” It sounded like he was rattling off information the way that he spoke it, but if there was one thing Tsukishima was sure about, it was when the qualifiers were.

Daichi and Suga had a calendar hanging on the wall in both the gym and in club room. It always had important events and dates marked in red, from days they were going to be training with Nekoma and the other schools from Tokyo, to the days where the gym was going to be under inspection and closed, and of course, they had all the dates for the qualifiers marked.

In a way, it seemed so far off that it wasn’t as big of a deal as going to nationals, but even Tsukishima knew the days were dwindling. They had scheduled one more practice day with Nekoma and Fukurodani in two weeks, the first weekend of October, but after that it was pretty much time for the qualifiers. It was a do or die moment that was drilled into each other’s head. They needed to be as close to perfect as they could be, because only one team could go to nationals, and though Tsukishima was still lacking in motivation in some ways, he hated losing more than anything else. Plus, if they didn’t win, he couldn’t spend more time with Kuroo, which seemed to be his biggest incentive.

“So, the weekend of the twenty-fifth?” Daishou questioned, with a  serpentine grin like when he first met him at the preliminaries. Tsukishima felt that it was hard to discern if he was scheming or that was just his face.

Well, it wasn’t like it bothered Tsukishima. Daishou seemed to be quieter than most, and though he resembled a snake in the sense that you highly thought he might backstab you, he wasn’t all that bad. Then again, maybe Tsukishima was just thinking that because the two of them happened to share the whole being condescending thing. 

In a way, the comments and way Daishou was talking to them seemed a lot like how Tsukishima talked to Hinata and Kageyama. Tsukishima wasn't sure how much he liked being reminded of something like that.

“Yeah, that sounds about right. Why?” Tsukishima looked up at him, leaning forward in his chair as he straightened up. 

It was strange to see Kuroo be quiet for so long, but Tsukishima assumed he was just thinking. Looking at him, he still had that same look of displeasure and annoyance, and the glare made it hard to tell what he was thinking. He couldn’t quite shake why, but it bothered Tsukishima.

“Curiosity. I was just making sure since the Tokyo qualifiers are always different. But, I think Kuroo knows what that day is, don’t you, Kuroo?” Maybe he was planning something after all, because the way he smirked at Kuroo seemed to drain all of the life in the room for a second time. He swore the plant in the corner of the room would start wilting.

Tsukishima’s first thoughts were that he was hinting at something he didn’t know anything about. It was clear that Daishou and Kuroo had some kind of history. He didn’t think it was romantic history, but the two liked to rile each other up and knew a lot about each other. It wouldn’t be that hard to believe that he was talking about some kind of touchy subject. 

There was still a lot that he didn’t know about Kuroo after all, but Tsukishima couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He wasn’t really the type of person who wanted to involve himself in other people’s problems. Even if him and Kuroo were technically dating, he wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to go involving himself in his personal matters. It would probably be really troublesome.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, snake.” Kuroo finally spoke, the same glare in his eyes as before, and a certain rasp in his voice.

Kuroo had a weird sincere tone to his voice, which was making it hard for Tsukishima to ignore. He saw him shift his eyes from looking down at the floor to looking at him, then at Daishou, and then back to him. Tsukishima was starting to get the sense that Kuroo was trying to control himself. From what he had seen, Kuroo didn’t  have a short temper, but he was annoyed. That was obvious. He guessed that he was probably trying to decide what to say next, if he should be nice to Daishou or tell him to leave. All Tsukishima could do was play possible scenarios out in his head as he waited for one of them to continue. What exactly were they talking about?

“Really? I guess I’ll tell you then.” Daishou shrugged, that evil smile returning as he turned his shoulder to face away from them. Tsukishima could see a small bag being held by his hands. It looked like he bought something here, which would explain his visit to this tea shop. “It looks like the qualifiers for Miyagi and the finals for the couples dancing competition will be held on the same day. Good luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm so sorry this took this long to get out. I've been busy with university and took a week off of writing, so sorry this chapter took almost 3 weeks to get out. I feel kind of bad that this chapter took so long and it's under 5k words, I'll try to get out a longer chapter next to compensate for that, one that won't take as long to write either.
> 
> Thank you so much for your support on this story so far.  
> Next chapter we will see what Kuroo and Tsukki are going to do about the competitions being on the same day, and we may get some angst and smut in there. ;3  
> Thank you for reading. <3


	19. Push

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima makes a decision about the dilemma he is facing with Kuroo, and gets some advice from his teammates.

“We should call it off then.” Tsukishima spoke thoughtlessly. His voice sounded mellow, sad as he looked down at the table in front of them. 

He couldn’t help but clench his fist at his side, feeling the wire of the top of the bag Kuroo gave him cutting into his hands ever so slightly. It was just painful enough where Tsukishima barely noticed the pain as it cut into his flesh, but not enough to draw blood, thankfully.

“Huh? What, Tsukki?” Kuroo’s expression shifted, blinking his eyes several times in disbelief. For the first time today, he looked to actually be surprised, and Tsukishima couldn't decide if that was good or bad.

Tsukishima wasn’t quite sure what came over him. Well, he had an idea. It was fairly obvious when he thought about it, and it was something that Yamaguchi even warned him about. Tsukishima was running away again, this time physically. He was never a coward, he never considered himself to be, but when things got too difficult, Tsukishima had a tendency to put forth minimal effort, and find a way to get out of it. This was no different.

“I mean, if the events are happening at the same time, there’s nothing we can do about it.” Tsukishima forced a smile, not laughing but saying it like it was the most obvious answer. Although he was sure Kuroo could tell how forced it was, it was the same expression he would make when he tried to get out of anything. “It’s impossible to be in two places at once, you know?”

“Tsukki, wait-” Kuroo abruptly got up from the table, slamming his fists down and getting the attention of both Daishou and the employee still working at the front of the store. His voice had that same rasp to it, like he was choking on his words, and it was hard to tell if he was upset or furious. Well, knowing him it was probably neither. Those were two emotions Tsukishima had never seen Kuroo make before.

“Plus, it’ll be nice not to have to travel so much anymore.” Tsukishima kept that lax tone, scratching the back of his head. Of course, he knew he didn’t mean what he was saying, but the words kept coming out on their own. Tsukishima thought that maybe this was the excuse he was looking for to not commit himself, as terrible as that sounded.

To anyone just be passing by, it would sound like Kuroo and Tsukishima were breaking up, while that was the furthest thing from what Tsukishima wanted. He wanted to be pissed off, to tell Kuroo there was no way that could be possible; he wanted to talk to Daichi to see if they could work something out, maybe even talk to the people behind the couples dance competition. This couldn’t be right. Wasn’t there a rule where two dance competitions can’t happen at the same time? Tsukishima didn’t know, he didn’t exactly do a whole lot of research when it came to this competition.

When it came down to it, if Tsukishima had to choose one, he would have chosen to be with Kuroo in a heartbeat, but even he knew he couldn’t make such an unreasonable choice. Tsukishima wasn’t the kind of person to show his emotions, and it was already obvious that the right choice was to stick with dancing for Karasuno. Tsukishima’s feelings didn’t matter, all he had to do was let Kuroo down gently.

“My, my, is there trouble in paradise?” Daishou, standing by the table and hearing every breath of this conversation, turned and smirked at the two of them. 

It was hard to tell if Daishou was a friend or enemy. Competition was competition, and Tsukishima could already tell that Daishou wasn’t above a little bit of sabotage. Though, calling it sabotage was a bit of a stretch. Kuroo and Tsukishima would have found out about this sooner or later.

“This is all your fault,  _ snake _ .” Kuroo snapped up, bringing his head up from looking down at the table to glaring at Daishou. You could see a borderline hurtful look in his eyes, and Tsukishima knew this was going to get out of control if all of them, or at least two of them didn’t leave.

“My fault?” Daishou laughed, placing his free hand over top of his chest. “All I did was tell you a fact, Kuroo. It’s not like you two are breaking up because of me. Unless, of course, you are? I guess that just proves your love wasn’t strong enough to begin with. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go.” Daishou still with that slimy smirk on his face headed for the door.

“We should go, too.” Tsukishima spoke calmly. He still had no idea what he was doing, but he knew he needed to do something.

Daishou was right, just because they couldn’t do the dance competition together didn’t mean they still couldn’t date, or at least, that’s what it should have meant. However, Tsukishima was having a hard time admitting their relationship would be okay.

Maybe he was just being negative again, but Tsukishima couldn’t help but feel like there was no point in them being together if they couldn’t dance together. It was like all their hard work was for nothing, and it would only be a matter of time before the two of them began to grow distant.

Tsukishima didn’t really know what he had planned. They were still staying over at Nekoma for one more night, and he knew that if he said anything too irrational, it would ruin the whole weekend. 

Did he want to break up with Kuroo? No, of course not, but he felt like that was the direction this conversation was going. They had only been together for a little over a month anyway, it wasn’t like they were attached or the heartbreak would be that bad. This would be fine. Kuroo had entrance exams and it wasn’t like they could still keep up a steady relationship after he graduated. It was better this way, Tsukishima knew from the start it was a bad idea to have feelings for him. He was the one who confessed to him first, so it was his fault. He needed to deal with this, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Kuroo.

“Wait, Tsukki-” Kuroo repeated as the two of them made their way towards the door, not evening finishing their tea. Tsukishima could see Kuroo reaching out for him from the corner of his eye, panicked, but Tsukishima couldn’t stop himself from moving.

“We probably shouldn’t have done this to begin with.” Tsukishima forced himself to stop in his place, turning his head slightly to make sure Kuroo could hear him. He didn’t mean what he said, the words were just coming out, but that still didn’t stop a single tear from streaming down his cheek.

“I’m back.” Tsukishima spoke softly, entering the classroom Karasuno was supposed to sleep in. It was still pretty early and he knew most were still either doing their free practice or eating down in the makeshift cafeteria.

He didn’t expect to find anyone in there. Looking around, most of the beds were still made, with his being neatly on the end next to Yamaguchi’s. His school bag and his glasses case still sitting right by it to signify that it was his.

Tsukishima thought about doing a quick change. Grabbing his baggy t-shirt and shorts and walking the short walk to the bathroom at the end of the hallway to get ready for bed, he wasn’t tired, but he knew going to sleep would be the only way to ensure no one talked to him or noticed how red his eyes were. Tsukishima didn't exactly feel like he was up for conversation tonight.

He wasn’t feeling hungry, or normally one to partake in free practice, so it should be fine. His eyes hurt more than anything. Even his glasses were blurry and impossible to see through. 

Had he been crying? Probably.

The whole way back, Kuroo and he walked in silence with Tsukishima hesitantly leading the way. He wasn’t entirely sure where he was going, but he figured going towards all the noise was probably a good start. Plus, Kuroo probably would have told him if he was going the wrong way, even despite him being as quiet as he was.

Tsukishima didn’t bother to look back at Kuroo, he didn’t want to see the look on his face, despite it probably being blocked by his hair. He knew it would only make him regret his decision even more. Tsukishima had thought it before, but he wanted to make this year memorable for Kuroo, but not for reasons like this. Tsukishima was an asshole, and he knew it.

He decided to go through with his plan, go to sleep and deal with everything tomorrow. If he got lucky, maybe he wouldn’t have to see Kuroo at all before they left. He figured he could always bribe Hinata or someone who he knew wouldn’t get involved in his business to bring him some food. 

Tsukishima would ask Yamaguchi to do it, but he knew that would only be a disaster. If his best friend ended up finding out what happened and what he did, he knew that he would surely end in a lecture. What he needed was sleep and a clear mind, maybe even some fresh air. He needed to escape his feelings right now, and more than that, he needed to escape Kuroo.

Tsukishima stood up off the floor, wiping the tears from his eyes one more time as he walked towards the door. He didn’t need to look in a mirror to know how red his eyes were, and he knew if anyone saw him like this that he would have a hard time coming up with an excuse that sounded believable.

“Oh, I’m sorr-“ He wasn’t thinking, but as Tsukishima emerged from the doorway, eyes still looking down at the ground. He ran into someone, or rather, two someone’s. 

Two people both wearing Karasuno’s black jacket, and he knew he was screwed before he even got a chance to realize who they were. Though, from the freckles on one face and the soft, borderline sweet and caring tone from the other, it wasn’t hard to figure out.

“Tsukki?” Yamaguchi spoke curiously, a confused look on his face as he tilted his head to the side. Tsukishima made the mistake of telling him that Kuroo had something planned for his birthday today. 

What a memorable birthday.

“Did something happen, Tsukki?”

“What’s wrong, Tsukishima?” The other person spoke, the only other person on Karasuno’s team that knew about Tsukishima’s relationship with Kuroo, or should he say, former relationship. Suga.

“It’s nothing.” Tsukishima quickly averted his eyes to the floor. He tried to force his way past them, walking in-between them and hoping that they didn’t see the pathetic look on his face. Or the new found tears that were now swelling in his eyes. 

Tsukishima felt so pathetic, and it was all because he couldn’t stop thinking of Kuroo. Even when they broke up, he was a disaster.

“It doesn’t look like nothing. Did something happen, Tsukishima?” Suga stopped him as he stood between him and Yamaguchi, placing his hand on his shoulder. Thanks to Tsukishima being the tallest person on the team, people could still see the clear expression on his face even when he was looking down.

“Did something happen with Kuroo, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi had that same sad look as he bent his head down to get a better look at Tsukishima. 

He felt vulnerable with Suga and Yamaguchi’s eyes looking at him expectantly. Tsukishima hated drawing attention to himself and showing emotions for this very reason.He felt exposed and vulnerable. He hated it, but still, he knew that there was no way to get out of this. All he could do was try to end the conversation as soon as possible.

“It’s nothing.” Tsukishima repeated, turning his face out of view as best he could, he was scowling at how annoying the conversation had gotten.

“It doesn’t look like nothing.” Suga pried, and Tsukishima knew that he could see right through him.

He was pitiful, but a part of him wanted them to see this side of him. Maybe that was just a sign of how pathetic he was, like a cry for help. In a way, he didn’t regret what he did, but at the same time he hated this feeling; he hated being without Kuroo, and he hated whatever terrible thing he did to him because of this. 

“Tsukki, why don’t you tell us what happened?” Yamaguchi pried along with Suga, and Tsukishima knew he would cave. 

He had already gotten a number of lectures from Yamaguchi in regards to his relationship with Kuroo. It came as no surprise to Tsukishima that if Yamaguchi found out about what happened today, he would be in for another. However, Suga was one that he wasn’t expecting. The two of them together were more problematic than anticipated.

Tsukishima knew that this whole situation was irrational and it was all his fault. He and Kuroo wouldn’t be able to dance together, but instead of dealing with that and moving on, he decided to move backwards, running away from Kuroo, just like Yamaguchi said he would. 

He wasn’t a coward, but Tsukishima wasn’t used to feeling these kinds of emotions. He ran away from his feelings, not letting himself get close enough to Kuroo to fully commit, so now he was running away. Tsukishima just needed to survive the next three weeks and he would never have to see Kuroo again. 

But was that what Tsukishima wanted? He wasn’t even sure anymore. Tsukishima wasn’t sure he could still feel that same passion in him as when Kuroo and him first danced together.

He had no choice now but to tell them.

“I see, so your competition with Kuroo falls on the same day as the weekend for the Miyagi qualifiers for nationals. So, you had to pick between one and you chose to stick with your school, is that right?” Suga nodded his head like he was processing information as the three of them sat on beds on the floor.

It wasn’t much, but Tsukishima recapped the events of the night. From the mushy date at the tea shop to the encounter with Daishou, even telling them the events that actually took place at the preliminaries. It felt so awkward. Tsukishima always thought that outside of telling Yamaguchi that he would keep his relationship with Kuroo to himself. He wasn’t one for sharing personal information. The thought of more people knowing about his personal life didn’t sit well with him, even if it was Yamaguchi and Suga.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them or was afraid of them, but he didn’t know what they would say. He knew he was in the wrong, but he couldn’t bring himself to apologize. What good would that do anyway? 

They still couldn’t dance together, and even if they still had a relationship, it would only make it that much harder. Plus, Kuroo probably wasn’t in the mood to talk. What was he supposed to do, go over to the gym Nekoma was practicing in? Or go knock on the door to their room? How would that even work?

No, that was a terrible idea.

“Yeah, that’s basically it.” Tsukishima nodded, keeping his eyes locked down on the floor.

Yamaguchi was sitting next to him in his bed with Suga on the other side of him on the floor, both comforting to some degree. Yamaguchi had his hand on Tsukishima’s back, while Suga kept that same friendly tone in his voice, even offering him a tissue to help him wipe away his tears as they continued to stream down his face. It reminded him of how much he hated this feeling.

After a moment of silence, Suga broke out of his stare, a spontaneous laugh erupting from his voice. It sounded like a hyena and Tsukishima wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not. Did one of them say something funny by accident?

“What’s so funny, Suga?” Yamaguchi was the first to speak calm and curious as he turned his head to the side.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be laughing like this right now.” Suga calmed himself, placing his hand over top of his mouth, trying to hide his laughter. It somehow managed to pull Tsukishima out of the slump he was in, making him instantly click his tongue in annoyance as the tears dried up from the corners of his eyes. “It’s just funny. Who would have thought Tsukishima, who is revered as one of our more calm and serious dancers on our team, would be showing such emotion like this. It’s almost unbelievable. It looks like you really have come out of your shell when hanging out with Kuroo, Tsukishima.”

“Can you please not change the subject, Suga?” Tsukishima didn’t want to show how annoyed he was right now, but it was still fairly obvious what Suga was doing.

Between Suga and Daichi, they knew how to deal with every member on the team, and that was especially true for the first years. They could deal with the first years so well that there was no use in disbelieving that they could calm Tsukishima, distracting him just enough to take this conversation seriously. Though, that still didn't mean Tsukishima liked where this was going. It took everything in him to hold back a retort and let him continue.

“Sorry, Tsukishima, but you have to see the humor in this. Out of all of the first years, everyone would have probably figured you’d be the last one to feel this way about anything.”

“Can you do anything about it though, Suga?” Yamaguchi, being the considerate person that he was, tried to change the subject. 

They were aware of how limited their time was. They were probably getting ready to lock up all the gyms for the night. Maybe thirty minutes at most remained until people starting filling into the bathrooms and classrooms. Tsukishima wanted to be out of here by then, or at least have all of this behind him. He probably needed some fresh air more than anything else.

“I should be able to.” Suga nodded his head, that smile back on his face. “They don’t tell you this until you get there, but they have each school dance one at a time, like before. Only this time with a few hours between each routine. Hypothetically, if on Saturday morning of the competition we get done early enough, it would be possible for Tsukishima to get on a train to Tokyo and make it in time in the evening for his thing with Kuroo.”

“Really?” Yamaguchi beamed, and he seemed happier than Tsukishima did.

Though, that didn’t mean Tsukishima wasn’t feeling relieved. It was like one problem was gone but a new one arose. Even if there was a way that they could do it, there was still the problem of what he was going to do about Kuroo. He pretty much told him to give up on it, both on the dance competition and him. They may have been together for a little over a month, but he still wasn’t sure how well he would take this. Tsukishima knew he made a huge mistake.

“Yeah. I’ll have to talk it over Daichi, but I’m sure we can work something out, it’s not like situations like this have never happened before. Plus, aren’t Ushijima and Tendou from Shiratorizawa in that competition too? They’re probably in the same boat then.”

“That’s true.” Tsukishima sighed, he hadn’t remembered it until now, but he wasn’t the only one in that competition who was entering from Miyagi.

He saw them at the preliminaries, but he didn’t really pay that much attention to them. Ushijima was the third best ranked dancer in Japan. Winning against both with Karasuno and with Kuroo was going to be a challenge. It was funny to think that he was filled with such determination before, willing to train hard and practice hard just so Kuroo and he could beat them. Where did that fighting spirit go? Was it gone forever?

Tsukishima knew that wasn’t true, because if it was, then he wouldn’t be feeling this way. He would be giving up, pulling the covers over his head and heading off to sleep. Maybe this was that push he needed, as silly as that sounded. 

Despite it all, he still wanted to dance with Kuroo. Tsukishima felt passion with and for him, and if he totally screwed everything up, then he would have to deal with that. But, they still had another day, still had more time. This may have been another terrible idea, but Tsukishima was going to do something about it. For better or for worse.

“Huh? Where are you going, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi sounded startled as he watched Tsukishima get up off of the floor, slipping his shoes on as he made his way towards the door.

Tsukishima forced himself to sigh, not making eye contact with the two of them. Even if it was fairly obvious where he was going, he still didn’t want his best friend to worry. This was another moment where Yamaguchi served as the voice of reason, this time alongside Suga. If he didn’t have them he truly would have made another mistake tonight.

“I’m going for a walk.”

It was cold, just like he expected. It was a good thing he made the last second decision to bring his jacket with him. He could feel the wind blowing through his blond hair, sending a chill down his spine as the coolness hit his neck. There really was no better feeling at this hour.

He walked on the path paved from the main building to the practice building. It was dimly lit thanks to the lights from the school, making it easy to see where he was going, his feet continuing to mindlessly walk across the stone pavement.

_ It was all his fault _ , Tsukishima thought again as he walked past the empty room of the first practice gym. The lights were off and door was locked, making it clear it was empty, and he couldn’t stop the dejected feeling from swelling up within him. Why was he acting this way again? Well, it was a fairly obvious reason, and Yamaguchi had told him this before, he could be contradictory.

It had always been a combination of the serious, borderline rude look that was always on Tsukishima’s face. He didn’t mean to, but thanks to events from the past few years, he had become quite disconsolate. Tsukishima had stopped showing any real emotion a long time ago, his motivation for dance and most everything else dying along with it. 

It wasn’t anything that he didn’t already know, Tsukishima was well aware of how dismal his life had been recently, and up until the training camp it was fairly obvious why. Tsukishima had no reason to try, no reason to get close to people with Yamaguchi being the exception. He had no reason to care about dancing or trying. It was just a club.

As somber as it sounded, Kuroo pushed him to try harder. Tsukishima despised him at first, the charming, provoking captain from another school several hours away. Kuroo was attractive and liked to rile other people up. It was annoying, but somehow he knew just what to say just to get Tsukishima to stay around. Kuroo knew which buttons to press to push him to try harder. He helped him to have confidence in himself again, and knew just how to have Tsukishima fall in love with him.

Tsukishima couldn’t leave him alone. Kuroo was driving him crazy and giving him such irrational thoughts. He hated this feeling, it was so new to him and he didn’t know what to do with himself, but he already knew that he made a mistake.

There was no excuse for what Tsukishima did. He was a terrible person, the reserved type who hated getting close to people, but he got close to Kuroo. 

Tsukishima was running away. He didn’t know why, but that’s what he was doing. He didn’t know what he was going to do, but Tsukishima was going to fix this. He just needed to clear his head. He would talk to Kuroo tomorrow. They may not have been able to dance together, but they could still be with each other. Kuroo ignited a passion within Tsukishima, and he would have given anything to be able to feel that again.

Tsukishima was lost in his thoughts, walking past the third gym, which was also closed for the night. He tried not to think about how that was where it all started. Things may have been so different for him if Kuroo didn’t persuade him to practice with him during the training camp. Though, even Tsukishima knew it wasn’t the best time to stroll down memory lane. He was pathetic, and were those tears streaming down his face? 

Tsukishima stopped in his tracks, the space between the lamps on the pathway dark where the lights couldn’t reach. He clenched his fists at his side, clicking his tongue, and it was hard to tell if he was pissed off or upset. The two emotions didn’t really matter all that much. How badly had he hurt Kuroo? Or did he even hurt him at all? They had only know each other for a short time and it was hard to tell how certain things affected Kuroo. Tsukishima knew he needed to be more open with him, but the same could be said for Kuroo.

In between each of the gyms there was usually a room or two that were used just for storage or club rooms. Since the Nekoma practice building was at least three times the size of Karasuno’s, they had a lot more space that was unused. Tsukishima had learned from Kuroo in the past that they often kept them unlocked. He said it was mainly out of laziness, but he couldn’t help but think that hiding out in one of them might be a good idea. His miserable frown and red teary eyes would draw too much attention. If Kuroo or someone from Nekoma walked by, he knew he would instantly be in trouble. Hell, if Daichi walked by, he would be in trouble.

They still kept the same rules as they had for the Tokyo training camp; rules of where they didn’t want the first years, or anyone really, being out by themselves after a certain hour. Even if it was the weekend and the gates to the school were locked down, this place had an eerie, uneasy feeling at this late hour. Tsukishima didn’t like it, but he didn’t want to go back, not until he could put a calm, composed mask back on his face. He thought if only there was a way to forget about everything that had happened today.

Even with Suga saying there was a high chance they could work everything out with both of the competitions being on the same day, it didn’t make things any better. He still made an irrational decision and ran at the first chance he could. Tsukishima wasn’t proud of that, but maybe this was the push that he needed. It was hard to believe this would be the memories he had of his sixteenth birthday.

“Ghn.” Tsukishima made a noise, like a grumble or groan as he walked by one of the extra storage rooms beyond the third gym. He didn’t think anything of it, but it came as no surprise that one or two students could still be putting away supplies at this hour.

Tsukishima felt  déjà vu , the way that he was grabbed and forcefully dragged into the room, his vision growing dark since there were no lights on. He probably would have yelled, thinking it was some cruel prank from Tanaka or one of the other more troublesome members. It was only when the light turned on, a small lightbulb connected to a string above one of the shelves illuminating his surroundings that he changed his thought. Tsukishima could feel new tears form in his eyes just as soon as he was met with another pair of teary eyes. His words feeling shaky as he struggled to speak.

“Kuroo?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, maybe one of these days I'll upload a chapter on time, probably not.   
> But once again I'm sorry that this chapter took a little longer to get out. Tsukki and Konoha's birthdays happened and I wanted to write stuff for them, as well as I've been working on some side projects.  
> But I still hoped this chapter was enjoyable <3   
> Next chapter we will get to the smut scene and then see how and if Kuroo and Tsukki resolve this.   
> Thank you for reading <3 A big thank you to my beta reader for making this chapter more enjoyable. And Feel free to come chat with me on tumblr @ Tettsuroo because I like talking about KuroTsuki.


	20. Birthday Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After running into Kuroo on his walk, Tsukishima is forced to come to terms with his feelings and talk to Kuroo, as well as receive his birthday present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Updates fic after several months of being on hiatus* I'm so sorry T-T

“Kuroo?” Tsukishima stared through blurry vision and tear swelt eyes, room coming into focus as a single bulb overhead lit the way. His eyes felt sore and his emotions were bouncing back and forth between sadness and anger, a gnawing pain in his gut telling him he shouldn’t have come here tonight. However, all that changed when he saw the person standing before him.

Kuroo.

It was like a dream the way Kuroo was pinning him to the wall with a rage and fear in his eyes, predatory yet cautious, like he was both grateful and annoyed. Tsukishima grit his teeth but he wasn’t sure what to say, he wasn't sure how to deal with Kuroo.

He had both of his hands wrapped on Tsukishima’s arms, a few inches above his elbows. It felt borderline painful through the thin fabric of the clothes, but that wasn’t what Tsukishima was concerned about.

Was Kuroo the kind of person who had a short temper? Tsukishima hadn’t spent enough time with him to watch him lose his cool before. His glare went from a provoking cat to a fierce lion, and the way he quivered his lips didn’t help either. He was different and Tsukishima didn’t know what he was in for.

When it came down to it, Tsukishima hated making mistakes, he wasn’t hard on himself about it, but it just made him know how inferior he was to everyone else. Tsukishima was a lot of things but he wasn’t a jerk, he knew when he crossed the line and when he needed to apologize and set things right. He knew if he just walked away tomorrow without saying anything to Kuroo he would probably regret it, and he wanted to change that.

Tsukishima didn’t regret meeting Kuroo, or becoming his dance partner, but he did regret his decision tonight, and he needed to fix it, even if they don’t end up together. This was that extra push he needed to open up to Kuroo.

“What the hell was that?” Kuroo yelled furiously, and Tsukishima could feel himself shake.

Tsukishima wanted to speak, say he was acting irrational and the negativity in his emotions took over. He knew even if they talked it out Kuroo would have told him to do the same thing. It would be hard to ask someone to choose between their school and something they wanted to do for fun. Tsukishima was still required to do the dance competition with Karasuno, so Kuroo couldn’t have expected him to choose otherwise.

Even now when they had a chance to talk it out they didn’t. Tsukishima wanted to say how he was sorry and not thinking clearly earlier, but he couldn’t. It was like his mouth was frozen shut and nothing would come out. He was stuck there, not being able to move or speak, only able to feel the new icy tears that streamed down his face as he stood there, somehow cooling off his skin in the most embarrassing way.

“Tsukki, what the hell was that earlier?” Kuroo repeated himself, his voice still fierce. It reminded Tsukishima of how pathetic he was. “You just walked out without telling me anything, and what was with that ‘we should just end it then’ stuff?”

“Kuroo - Kuroo, I can-“

Would Kuroo even believe him? Well, he probably would have been angry at anyone for walking out on him like that, no matter what reason they had. But somehow the concern in his eyes hurt more than it should have, and Tsukishima knew this was his only chance to open up to him. He needed to be honest with him and with himself.

“You don’t actually believe what you said, do you?” Kuroo’s tone surprisingly softened as Tsukishima made eye contact with him. It was obvious he had been crying too, but he still managed to see right through him, an angry smirk as he tightened his grip.

“No, I don’t. I’m pathetic, I’m sorry, I-” Tsukishima’s mouth started moving on it’s own, he knew he might regret this, but he also knew it was the only choice he had.

Tsukishima never had been the self loathing type, he didn’t hate himself, but he just knew how inferior he was. He knew his place, and sometimes it felt depressing to think about it.

“What’d you say?” Kuroo cut him off mid-sentence.

He released one of his hands from Tsukishima’s arm and slammed his fist into the wall, most likely out of anger. It was hard not to notice the rage in his eyes.

“Tsukki, you don’t actually believe that about yourself, do you?” Kuroo pried, calming down and slouching himself over, getting a good look at Tsukishima’s face, like he was examining him. It was the same expression he would get from Yamaguchi before he was in for a lecture. “Because I’ll tell you what, you’re not pathetic, Tsukki. You may not have the self confidence or see how amazing you are, but I see it. You’re an excellent dancer, even Bokuto and Akaashi agree. And if anyone says otherwise, then fuck ‘em. Because I see someone pretty amazing, Tsukki.”

Did Kuroo actually know him this well? He must have because Tsukishima felt like a mess, crying with those tears running like waterfalls down his cheeks. When Kuroo let go of him, Tsukishima did his best to hide his face with his hands. He was such a wreck and Kuroo knew all too well how he was feeling.

It wouldn’t have been the first time Kuroo had praised him, but it somehow felt new. It wasn’t just praise, it was sincere and genuine. Kuroo wasn’t just giving him compliments for the sake of giving him compliments, he was doing it because he actually believed them, and he wanted Tsukishima to believe them too.

Maybe it was just because Tsukishima was one of those people that didn’t take compliments well, but he didn’t know how to respond and just saying ‘thank you’ didn’t seem to be enough. He took a deep breath, he wasn’t himself tonight, but it seemed neither was Kuroo, and he just knew he needed to say something and quickly.

“I’m sorry, I ran away, I guess.” Tsukishima turned to the side, facing away. He wasn’t sure how sincere his words were, they sounded so emotionless like he was reading them from a script, but he still forced himself to continue. “I’m sure you know, as both my dance partner and my boyfriend, I’m not good at expressing my feelings. When Daishou told us the events would be held on the same day I kind of panicked, and instead of telling you how disappointed I was we couldn’t do it anymore, I decided one-sidedly it would be better to run away. I’m an asshole, and I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

There, he said it, Tsukishima finally said it.

He sighed, taking another deep breath as the tears finally subsided. It had been an interesting evening to say the least, and he knew from Kuroo’s expression it wasn’t going to be over anytime soon.

“Hahaha.” There it was again, that borderline annoying hyena laugh Tsukishima had gotten so used to. It was bizarre to think someone could laugh like that, though, Kuroo was bizarre.

“What’s so funny?” Tsukishima cocked his head to the side, annoyed as he watched Kuroo gradually get ahold of himself. His laugh slowly fading out as he began to sound like himself again.

_Seriously, why was he like this?_

“I’m sorry, Tsukki. You know how I get when I see you acting all cute and up front like this, you’re so damn cute, it turns me on. Hey, it’s still technically your birthday, you know?.” Kuroo snapped up, moving closer to Tsukishima and placing both his hands on either side of Tsukishima’s face.

It was like a lightbulb went off inside his head, and Tsukishima was starting to fear for what direction this conversation was taking. Though, he couldn't say eh was displeased with the idea.

“Hey, you wanna _do it_ , Tsukki? You know, as a present?”

“And what if I do want to do something like this, Kuroo?” Tsukishima felt like himself again with a patronizing smirk, and he could tell Kuroo’s mood had changed too, turning into a provoking grin, like he liked the answer Tsukishima was giving him.

“Are you turned on, Tsukki?” Kuroo pried, sneering in his ear and sending a chill down his spine. If Tsukishima didn’t bite down on his tongue, he feared what kind of noise may have escaped his mouth. “Well, it is still your birthday, I _suppose_ if you _wanted to_ , then we could… _you know_.” Kuroo winked and Tsukishima knew exactly what it was he was implying.

_He wanted him to beg._

It probably wouldn’t have been the first or last time Tsukishima acted rather promiscuous around Kuroo. When it came to anything sexual he was always at the bottom. The inexperienced one. Kuroo knew what he wanted and he also knew how to please Tsukishima.

“Kuroo, I suppose that if we’re both in the mood for it, we could…” Tsukishima sighed, thinking about how embarrassing this was. This was right in the same category as being vulnerable.

“Ah, come on, you can do better than that. Where is the cute Tsukki who was talking so innocently only a few minutes ago?”

Tsukishima rolled his eyes, he knew what he was getting at and exactly what it was he needed to say, even if he might hate himself for it in the morning.

“I want you, Kuroo. I like you, and I want do it with you. Can we?”

“See, now was that so hard?” He teased, smirking, and Tsukishima swore he could feel Kuroo’s breath hitting against his face. “Well, as your boyfriend, I would be delighted to grant your wish.”

Kuroo moved his hand forward and shut the door, leaving just a small crack peeking through. Most people wouldn’t even notice anything if they walked by, and it was just small enough where Tsukishima didn’t feel bothered by it. From all the events of today, the last thing on his mind would be getting caught.

Kuroo had a weird, gentle way to him, like he was holding back, and Tsukishima was getting the sense Kuroo was restraining himself for his benefit. He couldn't decide if he should be thankful or annoyed with that.

Tsukishima closed his eyes as he tilted his head back, leaning it against the wall. The dim lights from the lightbulb made it barely visible as Kuroo pressed his lips onto his skin. His touch soft and gentle, grazing the spot between Tsukishima’s neck and shoulder as he tried his best to conceal a moan. Kuroo didn't miss it, of course, winking as he made eye contact and moved further up on the neck, to Tsukishima’s jawline.

Kuroo kissed him, soft and gentle as lips touched against lips, the flavor of Kuroo’s strawberry balm tingling against Tsukishima. _Did he wear this just for him?_ He was teasing him, slowly, probably making sure Tsukishima could feel it. With a light peck slowly turning into biting, tongue slipping inside his mouth as Kuroo’s hands began to roam his body.

Tsukishima could feel Kuroo’s hands on him. Fingers cool to the touch as they sent a shiver down his body. One of them caressed the side of his face as the other ventured its way to his back, reaching underneath his shirt, pulling him and bringing him closer to Kuroo.

He could feel their tongues lapping over each other, with Kuroo taking control and showing him where to go and how to do it. It was sweet and passionate, the seductive way sloppy, wet lips become immersed in one another and Tsukishima let himself become completely devoured by Kuroo’s kisses. He placed his hands on Kuroo’s chest, his fingers grabbing at his shirt.

It was hard to tell if he was doing it subconsciously or not, but Tsukishima started to curl his fingers as a form of distraction, trying to control himself as he felt a small, subtle moan escape. It was small and quiet, but just embarrassing enough that it made him blush as he pulled away, placing a hand on top of his mouth, letting all the heat and passion he was feeling disperse from his body.

“You don’t have to be quiet, Tsukki. Nobody’s out at this hour, we can make as much noise as we want.” Kuroo cooed, smirking.That same playful look in his eyes as he began to slowly kiss Tsukishima’s neck. He could feel him sucking and running his tongue over the tender skin there, and it took everything in him not to moan, turning his head to the side and hiding that subtle shade of pink all over his face.

“That’s n-not the-“ He was going to say ‘that’s not the problem’, but his words became flustered as he struggled to get a grip of himself. Kuroo was excellent at using his mouth and hands, knowing exactly which parts to touch to make Tsukishima feel great.

It was no mystery that Tsukishima was pretty reserved, it wasn’t so much about having no experience as it was about having some sort of dignity to uphold. The problem was it was all in his head. Tsukishima had a hard time letting loose. Even if he was enjoying it, a part of him was still holding himself back, not allowing himself to give in fully. He knew that he needed to change that.

“Hnh.” Tsukishima forced himself to open his mouth just a tiny little bit as Kuroo bit down on his neck, the smallest opening as he lowered his hands off of Kuroo’s shirt, and it was only a matter of seconds before one of those oh so embarrassing noises seeped through.

“Oho? See, I told you, you didn’t have to be quiet.” Kuroo smirked, teasing him again as he brought his face closer, this time their faces were only centimeters apart.

Even in the most intimate situation, Kuroo would still use that charm on his to his advantage. Though, it wasn’t like Tsukishima was stopping him.

“Hey, Tsukki.” Kuroo added in, he could feel his cool breath hitting against his skin as they locked eyes. A shiver ran down his spine and Tsukishima knew what he was going to undoubtedly ask. “We’re both in a good mood tonight, so do you want to take it off, or should I?”

Tsukishima froze. It wouldn’t have been the first time either of them had seen each other naked before, but this time it felt different, more intimate. It felt like there was a sense of shame or judgement they couldn’t escape from. Not that Kuroo felt such a thing, but Tsukishima very much did.

Of course, he wasn’t going to let Kuroo know that. Tsukishima always had been stubborn, and if Kuroo presented him with a challenge, he was going to take it. He didn’t even know if that comment was intentionally provoking or not, but from the look in his eyes, Kuroo was egging him on, and Tsukishima couldn’t ignore that. This may have been one of his first few sexual experiences, but that didn’t mean he needed to act like it.

“I can do it.” Tsukishima demanded, letting go of Kuroo as he slowly moved his jacket down to his shoulders, letting it hang there in hesitation.

“Oho? Can you?” Kuroo grinned. crossing his arms and cocking his head to the side, it was like he was judging him, waiting for Tsukishima to put on some sort of show. Once again Kuroo knew exactly what to do and say to get his way. Then again, maybe it was Tsukishima who was the one doing the teasing here.

He let Kuroo watch him, stepping back a few feet as Tsukishima discarded his jacket, letting it fall onto the floor as more clothes started to form a pile by his feet.

It started with the jacket but then moved to his shirt, showing off his pale skin as a cool breeze made him shiver. The shorts and boxers were the next to go as Tsukishima averted his eyes, hiding his guilt and shame as Kuroo licked his lips. It was far too enticing for what they were about to do, and Tsukishima couldn't hide the growing erection against his stomach.

He felt awkward and cold, placing his hands in front of his lower half, hiding himself as he waited for some kind of retort. Whatever sense of embarrassment he had was completely gone, being replaced with a new feeling, one of annoyance and impatience. He was starting to see that maybe he was the one who was desperate now.

“Hm.” Kuroo hummed, grinning as he let his arms fall down to his sides. He walked forward, reaching out and holding Tsukishima’s hands in his, it was like he was guiding him, having him walk underneath the harsh light of the burning bulb. “Tsukki, come into the light with me.” He asked nicely, and Tsukishima felt like he was putting himself on display for him.

It was probably just the dancer physique and demeanor in the two of them, but in a way it felt like they were dancing, as terrible as that sounded.

Kuroo kept his hands on Tsukishima, his fingers dancing along his tender skin, sending shivers through his body as he sucked in a sharp breath. His whole body seemed to shake as Kuroo ran his fingers along the underside of Tsukishima’s arms, tickling him with his nails as his other hand began to move down his stomach, leaving light scratches.

Kuroo’s nails felt incredible against his skin, sharp, forceful, with just enough intensity to drive Tsukishima wild with anticipation as a moan escaped his lips. His body felt so sensitive, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull away.

“Tsukki, your body is so sensitive, it’s cute.” Kuroo cooed, placing a light kiss on his cheek as he let go of him. Though, Tsukishima knew that whatever teasing he was doing was far from over.

Kuroo got down on the floor, sitting on his knees as he began kissing Tsukishima’s thighs. First lightly, but then getting more rough as he added his tongue and some biting into the mi, nibbling at the sensitive skin. Tsukishima couldn’t help but jump, his whole body was too stiff to form actual movements, but he could still feel the immense pleasure rising throughout him as Kuroo touched him. It was especially easy to see the prevailing look as Kuroo’s teased him, like he knew he had him right where he wanted him.

“Kuroo-“ Tsukishima placed one of his hands on top of his shoulders, trying to steady himself as all of his weight shifted.

“Are you sensitive here, Tsukki?” Kuroo asked as he ran one of his knuckles along Tsukishima’s inner thigh, sending another chill throughout his body. “Your body is reacting so nicely right now, are you feeling that good?”

“Mhm.” Tsukishima whimpered, too flustered to say anything as Kuroo kissed a trail from his leg to his stomach. Kisses wet and slippery, leaving a trail as Tsukishima put his hand in front of his mouth to conceal another moan forming in the back of his throat.

“Your legs are so beautiful, Tsukki. They’d look even more beautiful covered in bite marks, shall I leave some? Would you like me to do that?” Kuroo winked.

Tsukishima couldn’t answer but a nod of the head was more than enough to get his intentions across. Kuroo was willing to serve him tonight, do anything Tsukishima wanted, he knew he shouldn’t toy with this much power but the idea was making him far too excited.

_He wanted Kuroo to pleasure him._

Kuroo smiled, satisfied as he draped one of Tsukishima’s legs around his shoulder, exposing more skin as he sunk his teeth into the pal flesh. A man trickled out of Tsukishima as he leaned his head back, holding a hand on Kuroo’s shoulder t brace himself.

The soft, wet lips and the warmth of the tongue as Kuroo pressed along the inside of his thigh, and the way he bit down ever so slightly, sharp and painful, but ever so pleasurable drove Tsukishima wild. Kuroo made sure no inch of Tsukishima’s body went untouched as he moved from one leg to the other, giving the ther the same amount f tender care and attention. Sucking, biting, licking, all with warm passion as Tsukishima let himself be immersed in the pleasure. Only when he was at his mst peak of pleasure was when Kuroo pulled away.

“You know” He smiled innocently. “I’d like to give your chest some attention too. Your legs are so beautiful, Tsukki, but so is your chest.”

Kuroo leaned up a little bit, bringing himself halfway up Tsukishima’s chest. His eyes were like a ravenous wild animal, hungry and ready to devour his prey, but devour him in the sweetest way possible.

_Tsukishima liked the idea of that._

“Yea-h.” Tsukishima stammered, trying to find the right words as that flush traveled further down his face. “Can you….do the same….to my-to my chest?”

“Happily.” Kuroo smirked and ascended, standing up and bringing his mouth down onto Tsukishima’s chest, giving it the same attention as his legs.

His mouth latched onto a nipple, clinging onto the erect bud and rolling it around with his tongue, each flick tender and deliberate, like Kuroo knew what he was doing. Tsukishima could feel the heat as Kuroo’s breath pressed against his sensitive skin, thrilling and sending an excitement throughout his entire body as he entangled his hand into Kuroo’s hair.

“Kuroo.” It was impossible not to feel every flick on his tongue, the way Kuroo pressed his mouth onto his skin, moving from one nipple to the other, eyes never departing. He was watching for Tsukishima’s approval, making sure Kuroo was doing everything he wanted him to do.

Which he was, Kuroo was excellent, and Tsukishima was more than loving the way Kuroo’s mouth and teeth sucked and bit at his skin.

“So good for me, Tsukki.” Kuroo praised, releasing his mouth off of his nipples with a _pop._ Tsukishima wasn't going to admit just how much he liked the sound of that.

“Y-you don’t have to do this much f-foreplay.” Tsukishima hated saying that word out loud. Was foreplay supposed to feel this good?

All of Kuroo’s touches were slow and deliberate, it was like they were pricking at his skin. It hurt but not in the painful way, it was a new sensation that Tsukishima had never felt to this depth before. His whole body felt hot, like he might die if Kuroo keeps touching him, but at the same time he didn’t want him to stop. It felt too good for him to stop, and Tsukishima was finally realizing just how great he felt when he was with Kuroo.

“Good, so you know what this is.” Kuroo spoke up, it was like he was laughing, and Tsukishima couldn’t tell if he was just trying to ease the tension, or if he actually wanted to make a joke.

“I’m not an idiot.” Tsukishima snapped.

He knew that Kuroo didn’t mean anything by it, but he hated when people talked to him like he was inferior. However, his tone may have been a little harsh with Kuroo, so he tried to soften his look just a little bit.

“I didn’t say you were.” Kuroo brought his face up to kiss him, a sweet, genuine kiss.

“Hey, come here~” In one swift motion, Kuroo placed himself back on the floor again, this time lying down on his back.

It was that flexible dancer body of his at work again, only this time he pulled Tsukishima down with him, taking him off guard and letting him sit on top of his stomach, with his legs on either side of him. He had a lovestruck grin on his face as he moved his hands up, letting them rest on Tsukishima’s thighs, slowly moving them over to his butt.

“Kuroo.” Tsukishima reverted to a more harsh tone. He knew exactly what Kuroo was up to, that little devious look in his eye gave it all away, and he would be damned if he was going to let Kuroo have this much fun on his behalf. “Don’t you think we should get on with it before someone comes by?” That was the nicest way Tsukishima could think of to ask him to stop teasing him.

“Hm.” Kuroo smirked, like he was pondering, though his answer was already obvious. “But you walked out on me at the tea shop today, Tsukki, so this is compensation for that.” He teased, his breath like a whisper, letting his words linger in the air in a seductive manner, and Tsukishima knew he was screwed.

“Tch.” Tsukishima clicked his tongue, it wasn’t the most fitting response, but it definitely got across how annoyed he was right now.

Tsukishima wasn’t the most patient person, he didn’t exactly have a short temper, but he always found there was a moment when things got to a point where they were being too troublesome to bother with. Usually it was about how long he could stay behind after practice or how long he could tolerate Hinata and Kageyama for studying, but this was starting to reach that level.

It looked like Tsukishima finally had that last push.

“Heh.” Kuroo chuckled, not doing anything for the mood that was slowly building up in Tsukishima. “Just hold on just a little longer and I promise I’ll make it worth your while, Tsukki.” He cooed, leaning his head up and kissing along Tsukishima’s jawline just once. “Plus, it’s you first time so I need to prepare you.”

“If you don’t hurry up and fuck me I’m going to leave and tell everyone you’re out here dancing in a pink tutu.”

“So touchy, but since it’s your birthday, as you wish.”

“Tsukki, are you ready? It might be a little hard on you, is that okay?” Kuroo whispered in his ear, somehow in a loving voice.

Saying Tsukishima’s body felt ready was the understatement of the year. His legs were shaking, his insides felt stirred, and he was certain he was crying, though he still hadn’t determined if it was from how happy he felt right now or not.

Kuroo spent the past several minutes fondling Tsukishima and touching him, preparing him with lube and pushing his fingers inside of him, testing his limits. Tsukishima’s skin felt hot and on edge with every new kiss and bite he left. His whole body felt sore but he wasn’t going to let Kuroo know that, with using every possible chance he could to sound as condescending as possible. Tsukishima always had been stubborn, so stubborn that he wasn’t going to let Kuroo continue without him getting to have his fun too.

“Just d-do it.”

“If you insist.” Kuroo smirked, by this point he had stripped down to his underwear, letting Tsukishima’s eyes wander and his hands touch wherever he pleased. He definitely spent several minutes touching the defined abs on Kuroo’s stomach as Kuroo continued to bite and suck his way along his jawline.

In a swift motion, they changed positions, with the two of them on their knees and Tsukishima’s back up against Kuroo’s stomach. The thin, spread out pile of clothes being the only thing between Tsukishima’s knees and the cold storage room floor.

Kuroo took this time to tease Tsukishima once more, placing both of his hands on him, letting one caress his stomach, his fingernails running up and down all of his sensitive areas just enough to make his entire body on edge.

He snickered and Kuroo rested his head on Tsukishima’s shoulder, his breath tickling down the back of Tsukishima’s neck as his hand slithered like a snake and slipped his fingers into his mouth.

“Ghn.” It caught Tsukishima off guard, turning his head to the side as he caught a brief glimpse of Kuroo.

“You’re so cute, Tsukki.” Kuroo cooed in his ear, he could feel his fingers slowly run over his tongue as he moved his other hand to Tsukishima’s thigh, like he was lightly rubbing him. “And your thighs are so pretty, you really have been building up some muscles here, huh? I like it, it makes your butt cuter. And your legs, they’re so delightful and shaky, so pretty covered in my marks, should I play with them some more?”

Tsukishima couldn’t tell if it was impatience or annoyance that was making Kuroo act the way that he was. Well, it was probably a combination of both, but Tsukishima was growing tired of this, and he knew just how exactly to get his way.

“Kuroo, if you don’t have sex with me, then I’m not going to let you touch my _cute butt_ and my _delightful legs_ again.” Tsukishima smirked, looking at Kuroo with a condescending smirk as he knew the tables had been turned. He wasn’t going to let Kuroo be the one who was going to have all the fun.

“You’re full of surprises, Tsukki, who would have thought you would have been the one to provoke me? Well, I guess I had it coming, but I’m not gonna be gentle, you know?”

“I know.” Tsukishima sighed, the tone in his voice confirming what he knew was about to happen, though he would be lying if he said every inch of his body wasn’t already anticipating the feeling. “Believe me, I know, but I don’t want you to be.”

Kuroo grinned like a Cheshire cat, and Tsukishima knew he was satisfied.

“Happy birthday, Tsukki. Now, let’s do something that we’ll both enjoy.”

Kuroo discarded his underwear with one swift motion, letting it join the rest of the clothes in the pile on the floor as he slipped on a condom. Tsukishima could feel Kuroo’s hand wrapped around his thigh, holding him steady as he pushed himself into him. It was like an abrupt moment of pain as he grimaced, almost moaning in a hot pant, feeling Kuroo kiss his neck, as if he was reassuring him.

“You okay?” Kuroo asked in a loving voice.

“I’m fine, don’t stop.”  Tsukishima begged, feeling vulnerable as he kept his head turned around, looking at Kuroo.

With his other hand, Kuroo placed it a little further up his chest, holding it firmly on Tsukishima’s stomach as he began slowly thrusting his hips back and forth at a steady pace. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, well, that was a lie, Tsukishima knew very clearly what he was expecting, but he didn’t think it could feel so good.

The room was cold but his body was hot, an intriguing sensation of both pleasure and pain ran through Tsukishima and he decided in that moment he had never felt better.

Tsukishima knew exactly what he wanted, the feeling that he wanted to keep feeling, and the way his body felt like it was being turned inside out. He liked it, and more than that he craved it, he craved Kuroo.

“Mhn.” Tsukishima mumbled, groaning as he tried to instantly conceal his voice out of embarrassment.

It felt overpowering, and Tsukishima couldn’t resist the urge to grab one of Kuroo’s hands and bring it up to his mouth, sucking and kissing on his fingertips. The feeling was erotic, with wet saliva and hard scratches from nails sending a vibrating sense to the back of Tsukishima’s throat. It was hard to deny the hot feeling all over his body, Kuroo’s fingers and nails were so good and he swore he would die from pure pleasure.

“Tsukki~” Kuroo cooed and Tsukishima’s body felt more responsive than usual. “You feel really good. Are you feeling it too?”

“I-I am.” Tsukishima stuttered, he hadn’t noticed until now that Kuroo was gradually picking up the pace, going faster and faster, and Tsukishima’s body had been going faster and faster too. His hips moving in time with Kuroo’s movements, it was like dancing, though that was a terrible comparison, but their bodies were in perfect sync with one another.

“Hey, Tsukki~. I’m feeling really good, would you mind if I-“

“No!” Tsukishima cut him off, and he knew better than anyone what Kuroo was about to ask.

He may have liked Kuroo, but even Tsukishima had his limits. Tsukishima knew damn well there would still be practice tomorrow, and he couldn’t walk in there with more than half of his body aching. Whatever sexual desire the two of them had would have to wait, at least, for now.

“Huh? But Tsukki-“

“We have practice in the morning, Kuroo.”

“Oh, right.” Kuroo seemed oblivious, but somehow Tsukishima found it cute.

“It’s your birthday, though, don’t you want to do something like this?”

“It’s _my_ birthday, save it for yours. I’ve got the rest of qualifiers for nationals coming up soon, and some of us can’t afford to take a day off for personal matters.” It sounded so unlike Tsukishima, taking practice and dancing serious, but now that his passion and Kuroo had returned, Tsukishima was determined not to lose.

“My, my, who would have thought you would want to practice, Tsukki? I certainly didn’t. And what’s this I hear about my birthday? Is it a promise?”

Tsukishima knew he dug himself into a hole with that one, but he knew that he didn’t regret his answer, it wasn’t like there was much standing in the way of Kuroo and him staying together by this point, and even though it was only September, the rest of the year would fly by, and so would Kuroo’s birthday.

Tsukishima sighed, gritting his teeth as he smiled. “I promise.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Can you walk?”

“I should be fine.”

“Here, let me help you.” Kuroo extended out his hand, as they laid collapsed there for what felt like several minutes, the sweat on their bodies slowly cooling off as they began to regain some energy.

Kuroo was the one to get up first, cleaning himself up with the tissues he always kept in one of the pockets of his Nekoma jersey, and then helping Tsukishima up off the floor. He slowly began to put their clothes back on, with Tsukishima struggling to fully stand up as his legs started to feel creaky and heavy under the new pressure.

“It’s okay, that happened to me my first time too.” Kuroo laughed as he pulled his jacket over him and Tsukishima did the same with his Karasuno jacket.

The first step is always the worst, and Tsukishima felt his legs get more and more comfortable again with each new step they took towards the door, opening the crack in it slowly, checking to make sure no one was still out at this dark hour. Tsukishima didn’t even want to look at himself in the mirror or see his or Kuroo’s reflection underneath the moonlight. The amount of times their lips spent stuck to the others skin would be alarming, and he was sure there were bound to be several noticeable bruises in the morning. It would be hard talking his way out of what just happened, but he would deal with that later.

“Looks like it’s all clear.” Kuroo spoke, resting his hand on Tsukishima’s shoulder as they both stepped out to the sidewalk, both of them sighing. “I’ll walk you back to your room.”

“You don’t have to.” Tsukishima resisted.

He knew how much noise they were bound to make from walking the hallways of the school at this late hour. Even more so when you consider Kuroo’s personality, he was bound to draw some kind of unwanted attention to the two of them, and Tsukishima didn’t have the mental energy to deal with that right now.

“Nonsense.” Kuroo looped his arm around Tsukishima’s and he could tell there was no use in trying to stop him. One thing Tsukishima learned about Kuroo was that once he made up his mind about something, there was no stopping him. “Plus, what kind of gentlemanly boyfriend would I be if I didn’t walk you back to your room after the first time?”

He was going to say something, just something small as he went along with whatever Kuroo had planned, but as they started walking their way down the sidewalk, turning the corner of the practice building, he could see the familiar figure of someone walk towards them. Why did Kuroo’s voice have to be so loud?

“That’s good to hear. It is pretty late after all, right, Tsukishima?”

He thought it might be Yamaguchi, his best friend always did have a knack for worrying and wanting to take care of him, but he soon realized the shape of this person's hair and their smile under the moon made them not Yamaguchi. Tsukishima thought he might pass out from hearing Kuroo speak before him, and he knew this night was not over.

How long had this person been waiting for them?

“Good evening, Suga.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a million excuses, I ended up getting distracted with midterms, exchanges, kinktober, injuries, and then eventually finals, but this is finally out and I apologize for the wait.  
> I'm gonna try to go back to updating this on a consistent schedule, maybe every 2 weeks or at least every month. But thank you so much to everyone who sent me kind messages and kept me motivated to still work on this.  
> And a big thank you to my beta reader who kept encouraging me throughout these many months, I couldn't have done this without you <3


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